December 27th, 2022 -12:00 PM

WZQZ Radio-

According to WZQZ Radio, Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader told WZQZ News that the new sheriff’s office on Underwood Drive in Trion, in the former GBI building, has one of the most up-to-date, modern training tools anywhere in North Georgia, thanks to a grant that was secured by Chattooga County Sheriff’s Josh Powell.

In the new building, the Laser Shot simulator is housed in it’s own area – a spacious training room that will allow local law enforcement to train in a controlled simulation environment.  The simulator at the new facility will be available for other law enforcement agencies in the area as well.  Sheriff Schrader said, “With this simulator and this facility, we have one of the only training tools of this kind north of Atlanta.”

Powell secured a $54,039.00 grant earlier in 2022 to purchase the state of the art firearms simulator.  The funds for the simulator came from the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Law Enforcement Training Grant.  Priority was given to requests which included scenario based, hands-on tactical training for law enforcement officers in one of the following topics: Use of Force and or deescalation.

The grants were part of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s initiative last year to provide $15 million to local law enforcement in the Peach State for officer training.