GVSU offers anti-terrorism training

Local airport personnel will be the first homeland security group to take advantage of anti-terrorism training through Grand Valley State University's Criminal Justice Education Center.

About 45 police officers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport will participate in a six-hour training seminar on Friday, May 30. The seminar, 'Counter-terrorism Training for the Front-Line Officer,' will be held 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m.

The goal of the seminar is to broaden officers' awareness of terrorism and possible terrorism activities in this region, said Williamson Wallace, assistant director of Grand Valley's Criminal Justice Education Center and Police Academy. Topics covered include law enforcement roles, international and domestic terrorist/extremist groups, legal implications, terrorism indicators, and officer safety. The training is geared to 'officers on the street,' or those whose work brings them into daily contact with the public, said Wallace.

'It's the officers on the street that are coming into contact with people daily. They're the eyes and ears of law enforcement,' Wallace said. 'The seminar is meant to help equip them with a good understanding of terrorism, what indicators to watch for, and safety actions.'

In addition to its own police department, the airport employs TSA personnel who screen passengers and luggage and check documents. TSA employees use many of the same investigative skills that police officers do, Wallace pointed out.

Friday's training will be followed by 56 such seminars offered this year to police officers throughout West Michigan, from Kalamazoo to Ludington. Training is now scheduled in Grand Rapids, Ottawa County, Muskegon, Big Rapids, and Ludington. Instructors are active or retired law enforcement officers from local agencies within the region.

'Our goal is to put approximately 2,000 officers through this training,' Wallace said.

There is no fee for the seminars. The training is funded by a grant from the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards.