Photo By Sgt. Haden Tolbert | Oklahoma Highway Patrol Emergency Services Unit Capt. Lance Schryer instructs Soldiers...... read more read more
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OKLAHOMA CITY – “Always Ready, Always There” is the motto National Guardsmen train and live by. It’s more than a motto though, it is a promise to their fellow Oklahomans that they will be ready to support their state and nation in times of need.
It is a promise that members of the Oklahoma National Guard Reaction Force - a rotating unit assignment that provides manpower to civil authorities to support their agencies during natural disasters or civil unrest - keep close to their hearts. It is a promise that requires consistent preparation.
That is why members of the OKNG NGRF have been training alongside the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in mobile field force operations.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol Emergency Services Unit Capt. Lance Schryer said the training, led by the OHP’s Emergency Response Team, is grounded in protecting citizens’ First Amendment right to protest while protecting other citizens’ rights and property during both small and large-scale events.
“This training focuses on how to respond to those large-scale and small-scale events - depending on the size of the crowd, the demeanor of the crowd,” Schryer said. “We’re training the [National Guard] on how to respond with us to those situations.”
The training included classes on the legal basis and limits of the use of force in support of law enforcement, crowd control measures, as well as the employment of less-lethal weapons like bean bag rounds.
Oklahoma Army National Guard Capt. Alexander West, commander of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, said the training gives the National Guard the ability to integrate into the OHP’s operations when called on.
“When they call and say they need our help, we're able to be a force multiplier for that agency,” West said. “This training gives us the ability to not have to retrain in the moment and our guys are already up to speed on what’s expected.”
Part of the training involves Guardsmen donning helmets, face shields and other personal protection gear while practicing the many formations and commands needed to support OHP’s operations in the field. To replicate the stress of working in large crowds, fellow Guardsmen role-played as protestors while the OHP played music and crowd noise over loudspeakers.
1st Lt. Kevin Oliphant, commander of Charlie Company 1-279th IN, said adding those stressors is an important part of building Guardsmen’s confidence during training.
“This is getting our Soldiers used to hearing those commands and understanding what they need to do upon hearing them,” said Oliphant, adding that training with OHP gives Guardsmen an opportunity to learn from another organization dedicated to helping Oklahomans.
“I think there’s a lot of things in common between the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and National Guard as far as their mission,” Oliphant said. “Security and safety of the general public of Oklahoma is absolutely forefront for the Oklahoma National Guard and it’s one of our main missions.”
During the most recent training, members of the ERT instructed Guardsmen on how to employ less-lethal weapons like bean bag rounds fired from a shotgun to help manage crowds if specific crowd behavior is endangering Oklahomans’ safety.
“We have escalation criteria wherever we’re doing policing or crowd control measures with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and some of those steps involve escalation of force using less-lethal rounds,” West said. “Using the less-lethal rounds, we’re able to disperse crowds, move crowds or change behavior.”
Schryer, who has trained law enforcement agencies around the nation on mobile field force operations, said that if the National Guard is called to support OHP’s Emergency Response Team, they will be under the direction of the ERT and work hand-in-hand with the Highway Patrol to protect the right to protest while preserving the safety of citizens and their property.
“People should know we're training to control chaos and controlling the crowd,” Schryver said. “We’re there to protect. We’re not there to arrest or hurt people, and the National Guard is here to support us in that mission.”
| Date Taken: | 10.02.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.15.2024 09:17 |
| Story ID: | 482200 |
| Location: | CAMP GRUBER, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 406 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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