At the Mock Prison Riots in West Virginia
Posted by Hilary Gibeaut
Today I am in Moundsville, West Virginia, at the Mock Prison Riots, an event that allows emergency response teams to test new technologies available to them before they incorporate them into their response plans. By being able to test these new technologies, such as the ones offered by TASER International, emergency response team members get the opportunity to not only evaluate the products, but also to give valuable feedback to the companies who design the tools they need to safely and effectively do their jobs every day.
Arriving at the West Virginia Penitentiary, site of the Mock Prison Riots
Throughout the four day event, men and women who keep our nation safe are able to deploy emerging technologies during best practice tactical training scenarios. Some of these scenarios include: cell extractions, riot control, hostage rescue, conflict resolution, and both lethal and non-lethal situations.
On Sunday, I joined more than a half dozen other TASER representatives for a day filled with setting up our trade show booth, painting targets and preparing for the upcoming scenarios. I was even able to attend a portion of the skills competition.
Coming down the cargo net ladder on the skills course
I was doing a self-guided tour with other co-workers when we heard a lot of hollering and yelling coming from the obstacle course in the south yard. Our curiosity had us, so ventured over to see what was going on. We found a five-man emergency response team midway through the obstacle course. These guys were physically exhausted from crawling through tunnels, climbing up a cargo net ladder, dragging and carrying a dummy and climbing up a wall. They were pushing their exhaustion levels to the extreme — one guy looked like he was going to hurl. His face was beat red, his buddies where trying to encourage him to keep going and no one in the group was going to leave this fellow officer behind.
The dedication and drive these individuals exhibit is remarkable. They choose to work in jails where offenders resist authority and where they always have to watch their backs and their partner’s every movement. It amazed me, that as I was leaving, I discovered I have a whole new level of respect for these individuals.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@TASERHilary) for up-to-the-minute updates from the 2009 Mock Prison Riots. I’ll be sharing hard hitting videos of inmate take downs, results of the skills competition (the Singapore team is looking strong), and exciting new facts that you might not have known about our prison system.