Georgia officers train on how to protect themselves in line of duty

FORSYTH, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – After the death of a Monroe County deputy last fall, nearly 200 law enforcement officers from across the state are in Forstyh for the V.A.L.O.R. initiative. 

Monroe County Sheriff John Cary Bittick, along with U.S. Attorney Michael Moore, say they hope the training helps officers stay safe while on the job.

“This is still rough on everybody there. It’s like losing a brother,” Bittick said. 

Talking about Deputy Michael Norris is still tough for the sheriff. Norris was shot and killed in the line of duty in September 2014. 

“It hits home anytime one of us is injured, killed in the line of duty,” Rico Potts, an investigator from the Albany Police Department, said. 

Potts says making the drive to hear Sheriff Bittick as part of the annual Violence Against Law Enforcement and Officer Resiliency, or V.A.L.O.R., initiative is something he couldn’t miss. 

“They do the same job we do on the day to day basis. They face the same threats,” Potts said. 

You name a police department or sheriff’s office in the state, they were there. 

The $15 million, two-day regional program was set up in 2010 by the U.S. Department of Justice to respond to the increase in violence against law enforcement. 

“This training is about making sure that our men and women in law enforcement have what they need and have the skill set to be prepared to face tragic circumstances,” Moore said. 

While our camera wasn’t allowed to see the specifics of what officers learned, Sheriff Bittick says the main priorities are to keep officers safe and deescalate hostile situations. 

“Just any situation they’ll be able to handle better because of the training,” Bittick said. 

Moore adds 2014 was a tough year for law enforcement and community relations. He and Bittick say most officers are here to protect their communities. 

“I think that that’s the entire purpose of this is so that, not only our officers, but other officers around the state can be trained and be aware of what they can do to keep themselves safe,” Bittick said. 

The two-day V.A.L.O.R. training will continue Thursday morning at 8 a.m. Since the training began, more than 17,000 officers across the nation have participated in the session.