The roar of a BearCat truck marked with "Sauk County" on the side could be heard rolling along a road at the Combined Arms Collective Training Facility (CACTF) on Sept. 20 at Fort McCoy as it transported a team of law-enforcement personnel to a training scenario.
The personnel came from police agencies throughout Wisconsin, and they were part of training taught by George Creamer of Integrated Tactical Concepts (ITC) LLC of Los Angeles. More than 50 personnel were taught in two courses over several days of training in September, including ITC's Tactical Armored Vehicle Operations and Operations courses.
"Each course is approximately 24 hours of training," said Creamer, owner and trainer of ITC. "What we did in the training at (Fort McCoy) included both classroom and practical exercises through field training."
Law-enforcement officers from Milwaukee and Eau Claire, Dane, La Crosse, Sauk, and Oneida counties were among those who participated in the courses. The training was hosted and coordinated by the La Crosse County Sheriff's Office.
The Tactical Armored Vehicle Operations Course is designed to expose law-enforcement tactical teams to the tactical capabilities of the Lenco fleet of armored vehicles, such as the BearCat, Creamer said. The course also focuses on deployment methods of the armored vehicle and helps the teams understand tactical situations where an armored vehicle can be used.
"This includes barricaded suspects, high-risk warrant service, hostage rescues, civilian evacuations, and rescue operations," according to the course description at www.integratedtacticalconcepts.com.
At the CACTF, the Wisconsin law-enforcement personnel practiced tactics, techniques, and procedures to use the BearCat as well as other law-enforcement skills. Three BearCat armored vehicles were used for the training, including those from Sauk, La Crosse, and Eau Claire counties.
CACTF Manager Tom Hoff with contractor Advanced Systems Technology said the CACTF complex is an ideal location for law-enforcement training as well as other types of training, such as technical rescue for firefighters as well as urban operations training for service members.
"We've even had medical-evacuation training here with Blackhawk helicopters," Hoff said. "The CACTF is set up to be as realistic as a training environment as possible so the people who train here can train in ways that are as close to a real-world situation as possible."
The support buildings in the CACTF complex represent multistory residential, commercial, government, business, and industrial operations, Hoff said. Underground tunnel and sewer training areas also are on site. The complex also includes a subway station building and a Structure Collapse Venue Site, which can support rescue training by firefighters and other emergency responders.
Hoff said the facility offers an especially great training opportunity for law-enforcement personnel.
"Besides being one of the most realistic training environments available in this part of the country, we also have the after-action review (AAR) capability that really adds to the training capabilities," Hoff said. "You are only limited by your imagination in the types of training that can be done here."
The CACTF has approximately 80 percent camera coverage of the facility interiors as well as three exterior cameras. People training there also have the capability to stream in audio and other effects to simulate the "sights, sounds, and smells" of combat operations and more. There also is a 100-seat AAR theater available for use.
During the third week of September, nearly a dozen law-enforcement agencies trained at the installation, according to Range Scheduling with the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS). The CACTF falls under DPTMS management for the overall Fort McCoy Range Complex.
Fort McCoy has supported America's armed forces since 1909. The installation's motto is to be the "Total Force Training Center." The post's varied terrain, state-of-the-art ranges, new as well as renovated facilities, and extensive support infrastructure combine to provide military personnel with an environment in which to develop and sustain the skills necessary for mission success.
Today, Fort McCoy has become the Army's premier Total Force Training Center for Army Early Response Force early deployers to meet the Army's operational demand requirements. Learn more about Fort McCoy online at www.mccoy.army.mil, on Facebook by searching "ftmccoy," and on Twitter by searching "usagmccoy."
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