The Banks County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday cut the ribbon on improvements to their on-site training facilities that will also include space for planned scenarios, fitness and administration.
The new training facility includes a rappel tower, a 300-meter gun range, planned scenario areas, a maintenance facility, an added annex to the existing detention building, extra classrooms and a fitness center, according to Sheriff Carlton Speed.
The rappel tower will reportedly offer a safe location for rappel training, as well as an elevated position to practice tactical marksmanship for officers. Near that structure will be the 300-meter range which will house 20 shooting lanes with sand barriers to catch downrange fire.
A portion of the new facility will be open for an obstacle course, ATV driving and a woodland section for scenario-based training which is said to be “true to the rural setting of Banks County,” officials said Wednesday.
Additionally, a maintenance facility will be available to provide in-house oil changes and perform upkeep on other department equipment.
The additions to the Sheriff’s Office property resulted in a gain of approximately 37,000 square feet. As the project has been in the works for over seven years, contractors have reportedly mitigated construction costs by utilizing the labor of Sheriff’s Office employees and inmates, while sourcing lumber from the cleared area.
The project has reportedly received material donations from Jackson EMC, Metro Site, Costco, Griffin Brothers, Thomason’s Saw Mill and Badcock Home Furniture.
The new annex will house administration, uniform patrol and criminal investigations, which will allow the current main office to be dedicated primarily to the detention center side of things.
The training center additions come in the form of five new buildings, each of which has been dedicated to a military conflict and branch of the military.
Building one is dedicated to the Army and memorializes veterans of World War I. It will house classrooms and have a lobby area “oriented towards community engagement,” officials said.
Building two is dedicated to the Navy and will memorialize the veterans of World War II. Once it is completed, that structure will house a fitness center.
Building three is dedicated to the Air Force and commemorates the Korean and Vietnam wars. Once completed, it will house virtual reality training technology, allowing officers to simulate use-of-force scenarios. Building three will also have a recreation center where employees can complete after-action reports and receive counseling.
Building four memorializes America’s conflicts in the Middle East and is dedicated to the Marines. That two-story structure will be what officials call a “shoot house,” which is a specialized area to train for close contact engagements and room clearing. Simulated ammunition can be used in the building and the walls inside will be adjustable to allow officers to create varying layouts.
The final building is dedicated to the Coast Guard and the war on drugs. It will include an auditorium and kitchen.
A virtual tour of the facility and its progress can be viewed online.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2023/9/1203064/banks-county-sheriffs-office-cuts-the-ribbon-on-training-facility-expansion