Las Vegas police, Touro partner to give officers medical training
The Metropolitan Police Department has partnered with Touro University Nevada for officers to learn lifesaving techniques.
Tourniquets, wound packing, the Israel bandage, or emergency bandage, technique and chest seals are among the newest procedures officers will learn in the academy and at annual training in the department’s Reality Based Training Center, officials announced Thursday.
“Touro’s team has been sharing our expertise with Metro officers to teach lifesaving techniques that may be needed if they are the first to arrive on the scene,” the university’s CEO and Senior Provost Shelley Berkley said during the news conference.
“As you know, if there’s an active shooting situation, medical personnel cannot go on the scene until it’s secured.”
The training comes as an expansion of lessons taught at Touro’s Regional Center for Disaster Life Support, which teaches students how to manage mass casualties.
By September, Metro expects 1,900 officers to graduate with the new medical training and receive first aid kits with tourniquets and bandages, according to Undersheriff Christopher Darcy.
“When I embarked on this career 30 years ago, we didn’t have this,” Darcy said.
“Now we see everyday officers are out there providing medical care to people. Thanks to the benefit of this program we’ll be able to save some lives out there.”
Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Reggie Rader from the Organized Development Bureau said Metro leaves five seats open in each training session for any other county agencies, including fire and police departments, that want to participate.
Rader said that other cities have contacted Metro and asked how to set up similar partnerships.
“We are unique here,” Rader said. “It doesn’t matter what uniform you have on. We all work very well together. This is the next step of us continuing that great partnership. This is the first of it’s kind in the country.”
Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.
