LAC LA BICHE - New scenario training rooms at the Law Enforcement Training Centre in Lac La Biche have been dedicated to two emergency services personnel.
The rooms have been names in honour of RCMP Cst. Leo Johnston and Community Peace Officer Rodney Lazenby.
On March 3 of this year, it was the 20th anniversary of the Mayerthorpe shooting in which Johnston, who was originally from the Lac La Biche area, along with RCMP constables Brock Myrol, Peter Schiemann, and Anthony Gordon, were killed in the line of duty.
Lazenby, a community peace officer (CPO) with the Alberta Municipal District of Foothills, was killed in 2012 while in the process of responding to an animal complaint.
According to Chris Clark, director of the Law Enforcement Training Centre, on May 22, municipal officials, representatives of Portage College and police services from across Alberta, along with Ron and Lee Johnston, who are immediate family members of Leo Johnston, attended a grand opening of two scenario training rooms, as well as an expanded classroom and administrative space.
About 40 people attended the grand opening at the Law Enforcement Training Centre, which included a ribbon cutting ceremony and tours around the training facility.
Speaking about the two scenario rooms being dedicated to Johnston and Lazenby, Clark explained that local officials reached out to both families and ran the idea past them.
“Both families agreed and wrote us a dedication for Leo and Rodney,” said Clark.
Once this was done, the dedications were put onto a plaque that has been mounted on the wall of the facility. The feeling to have these rooms named after two officers who made the ultimate sacrifice is surreal, he added.
“Seeing their names on the plaque and the address signs above their respective rooms gives you chills but also is a great feeling to have these two rooms dedicated and used to remind current and future officers of the risks that exist in the field,” Clark explained.
The scenario rooms are purpose-built rooms that allow for realistic, scenario-based training. Clark said the expansion has increased total seating space for classroom usage to 46.
“They include customizable lighting, realistic scenes and are all video and audio recorded,” he explained.
The training rooms also allow for usage of non-lethal firearm rounds, which are used for training.
“These are essentially a paintball round that is loaded into the officer’s firearm and allows for it to be used in scenarios. They are also designed to allow for the usage of Conductive Energy Weapons,” he explained.
Between the increased classroom space, scenario rooms and the administration area, Lac La Biche County is promoting the further development of the Training Centre and building for increased training to take place in Lac La Biche - and for the facility to possibly train all levels of law enforcement that exist within the province.
