Local law enforcement participate in 'rolling roadblock' training

Law enforcement officials from the Putnam County Sheriff's Department, along with several other agencies, participate in Pursuit Intervention Techniques training Tuesday and Wednesday evening at Area 30 and along Calbert Way.

Putnam County Law Enforcement officials participated in Pursuit Intervention Techniques (P.I.T.) training Tuesday and Wednesday evening at the Area 30 Career Center and on Calbert Way.

Forty-four local officers from the Greencastle Police Department, Putnam County Sheriff's Department, Indiana Excise Police Department, Cloverdale Police Department, DePauw Police Department and several Area 30 students participated in the training, which included learning how to do a "rolling roadblock."

A rolling roadblock consists of a minimum of three patrol cars and aims to bring a potentially deadly pursuit to a safe end for all involved, police officers, the violator and especially innocent bystanders.

The technique essentially works by the officers acting together with their vehicles to bring the violator vehicle to a slow, confined stop.

Although, the technique is fairly new to Indiana law enforcement, it has seen nationwide success.

Greencastle Police Sgt. Charles Inman, who recently became a certified instructor in pursuit intervention, introduced the technique to local officers.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on average 365 people are killed annually as a result of police pursuits. One-third of those killed are purely innocent bystanders.

However, due to the federal government not requiring the reporting of pursuit and pursuit-related fatalities, the number is likely higher.

Police pursuits are acknowledged as the most dangerous police tactic. Such pursuits have killed more innocent bystanders than bullets from officers' firearms.

"The utilization of the rolling roadblock serves to greatly decrease these numbers," Inman said.

According to Pursuit Safety, a pursuit victim advocacy, on average one officer is killed every six weeks while in a pursuit, speeding to join a pursuit, before or after stop stick deployment or responding to a non-life-threatening call.

"Officers throughout the nation are training on these techniques, as many pursuits cross multiple jurisdiction," Inman explained. "For example, if a pursuit enters Putnam County from another community all officers involved will have likely trained on the same pursuit intervention techniques. We can utilize this training to work together with outside agencies to bring the situation to a safe ending for all."

With the positive feedback from officers taking part in the class, the rolling roadblock will continue to be a part of the local driver training program.

"The response and feedback of our officers to this new training has been fantastic," Inman said.