Trainings for the Leadership of the Patrol Service

Another series of training sessions have been held for patrol officers at the police educational complex. This time, with the financial support of the US Embassy in Armenia, within the framework of the ICITAP program of the US Department of Justice, the training sessions have been held for the leading personnel of the patrol service, where leadership from the patrol subdivisions of Yerevan, as well as Lori and Shirak provinces were involved. The training sessions have been conducted by the representatives of the police department of the city of Houston, Texas, USA.
"The training sessions we conduct are mainly about the use of proportionate force to protect human safety. We teach the use of various tactical tricks, such as, for example, incapacitating the suspect, using various tricks, wrestling, also stopping high-risk vehicles in traffic, etc.,” says the trainer Michael David Lopez.
Trainers say that compared to two years ago, there is a big positive difference in training sessions. "We have been conducting the sessions since December 2020, and they are learning with great enthusiasm. The beginning is always challenging, yet the enthusiasm of the learners adds up with each session," says the trainer Derl Hudeck.
According to the head of the patrol service Artur Umrshatyan, continuous education is a must for the patrol officers. "Our international partners give methodological directions during these training sessions. They present didactic materials that they encounter during the service, and we will apply that methodology. After a short time, we as well will create didactic materials, we will prepare training manuals, with which our command staff will be able to conduct high-level training sessions in the future."
The US Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs has provided nearly $50 million in support to Armenia's criminal justice system, particularly the judiciary, investigative bodies, and the police, for over 20 years. "One of the works carried out in this direction was the formation of a modern patrol police, at the request of the RA government and the RA police. With the involvement of instructors and trainers with international experience, we are helping to form a modern patrol police that serves the society," says Adi Holloway, a senior strategic consultant of the law sector of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
American and international organizations are involved in the work, including the Internatonal Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, etc.