Office of Professional Standards and Training
The Office of Professional Standards and Training is tasked with many functions. OPST is responsible for all training, oversight of the Field Training Program, collaboration with the Detention Center for its Jail Training Program, Georgia State Certification, CALEA accreditation and Internal Affairs.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Training Center, an important element of the OPST, is located in Blythe, Georgia, on a 500 acre facility. Within the confines of the Training Center are three firing ranges, three classrooms capable of training 45 students in each classroom, an EVOC course, a shoot house and a multi-purpose meeting hall/dining facility.
The primary purpose of the Training Center is to provide all members of the RCSO and other law enforcement agencies with the highest quality of training available. The goal of the Training Center is to become the premiere training facility for law enforcement training in the Southeast. The Training Center conducts or hosts basic training for law enforcement officers, jail officers and others year 'round. We host classes for the State of Georgia and several outside vendors such as the RCTA. In-service training for RCSO personnel is provided all year broken down into 13 sessions per year.
The RCSO Training Center Staff offer a variety of in-service training covering topics including:
- First Aid and CPR
- Community Oriented and Problem Oriented Policing
- Firearms Skills and Requalification
- TASER certification
- Legal Updates
- Sexual Harassment
- Weapon Retention
- Active Shooter Response
- Handcuffing
- GCIC Security
- Judgmental Shooting Drills
- Tactical Vehicle Pullovers and Gangs.
We will conduct advanced and specialized training opportunities related to Supervision I, Supervision II, Supervision III, Management I, Management II, Management III, Interviews and Interrogations, Leadership Training, Domestic Violence Training, Advanced Sexual Assault Investigations, Tactical Rifle, Street Crimes Seminar and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing.
The Office of Professional Standards is headed by Captain Glen Rahn. He is responsible for oversight of all activities at the Training Center as well as the FTO and JTO efforts as well as certification and accreditation. Working alongside Capt. Rahn are Lt. Michell Thomas, Sgt. Michael D. Humphreys, Sgt. Kathy Daniel, Cpl. Pete Stewart, Cpl. Jason Payne, Cpl. Michael Trapp, Deputy Doug Tice and Susan Epps. Also Capt. Glen Rahn oversees the Internal Affairs Division.
The Office of Professional Standards and Training will be the driving force behind our certification and accreditation efforts. We recognize that we must adhere to the highest levels of professionalism and service delivery. To that end, Sheriff Roundtree determined that the RCSO would follow the Georgia State Certification and CALEA accreditation programs as road maps to that professionalism.
Adhering to the standards of state certification and national accreditation gives reality to the notion that we follow the best practices of our industry. Only through relentless scrutiny of our policies, procedures and practices through the lenses of certification and accreditation do we realize our dream of providing the best law enforcement services possible to all of our citizens and visitors.