By C1 Staff
MOUNDSVILLE, West Virginia — Officials from far away as California, Florida, Germany and several Caribbean nations joined together to attend the 18th annual Mock Prison Riot at the former West Virginia Penitentiary.
“If we had to drive for 40 hours, we would be here,” said sheriff’s Capt. Scott Brock of Lee County, Fla. “This is phenomenal team training. This tests your upper body and lower body, and helps you develop physical endurance.”
The state Division of Corrections partners with the West Virginia Corrections Training Foundation, a non-profit group, to oversee the event that has taken place at the prison every spring since 1997, according to The Intelligencer.
“We are very excited about this year’s event. For the first time ever, we are offering a lecture series during the event, and we are really looking forward to meeting all the first-time attendees with the Caribbean delegation,” said Division of Corrections Commissioner Jim Rubenstein.
“There is information out there on a variety of topics that could really benefit our attendees without them having to spend an entire day in the field or the classroom. Our new series offers 90-minute lectures on topics such as cellphones in prisons, how to manage hostage situations and set up a protocol, and how to manage stress on the job.”
The obstacle course events took place Monday, and the exhibition hall, workshops and training scenarios opened Tuesday and Wednesday. DroneShield LLC, a Virginia-based company that specializes in drone detection systems, will deploy drones and its drone detection technology during the training scenarios.
Special operations teams will practice scenarios, in which drones will be flown over the prison walls to drop off contraband.
“Our attendees come here prepared to work,” Rubenstein added. “They are engaged and learning and networking, and we are very privileged to be able to offer these opportunities to their benefit.”