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Chief Criminal Deputy's Report

When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction on Red River's Joe D. Waggonner, Jr., Lock and Dam in late 1991, the Corps knew its operations buildings would one day be put to another use.

In July 1994, the Sheriff's Office began discussions with the Corps that led to the eventual lease of its Waggonner Lock and Dam facilities. Then, in January 1996, discussions became reality and the Sheriff's Office started converting 3,500 square feet of construction offices into a comprehensive training facility.

Located literally in the southeast corner of Caddo Parish, the 43 acres leased to the Sheriff's Office by the Corps of Engineers will be home for a wide range of training facilities for Caddo deputies and officers from other jurisdictions.

With the ink barely dry on the lease, Fleet Management started modifications to move the agency's Armory to the site. A firearms training room soon allowed trainers to handle classroom weapons education there.

Two large general purpose rooms, a resource center, staff offices and dining area and a reception area were added in the spring. By the end of June, Professional Development was ready to use the new Training Academy for the 40-hour Annual In-Service Training each deputy receives.

With only finishing touches to the classrooms, offices and Armory left by the end of the fiscal year, planners were busy designing the outdoor facilities. Future plans call for a quarter-mile running track to help promote physical fitness and be the permanent home for semi-annual fitness tests.

A K-9 training area, when completed, will give handlers a permanent training site to work their narcotics and patrol canines.

Plans are on the drawing board for a "skid pad" driving course needed for initial instruction and recertification of deputies for driving emergency vehicles. This training is currently conducted when and where a large enough paved area can be located to handle it.

Perhaps the most significant and the most extensive project is a comprehensive weapons firing complex. Far from any populated area, the Training Academy is ideally situated for a full-service shooting tract. A 30-lane firing range is planned, along with a sniper course. A live-fire "Hogan's Alley" and a live-fire house will complete the weapons training facility.

There was a time when specialized training for deputies was conducted out of town. With the opening of the new Sheriff's Office Training Academy at the southern edge of the parish, some deputies joke that they're still "going out of town" for training. The remote location of the new training facility is a major benefit because it allows our deputies to devote full attention to their training -- just as they would if they had gone "out of town" for training.

- D. Milton Almond

Chief Criminal Deputy