The Greenwood Police Department will hold two four-hour sessions for officers on Thursday focusing on domestic violence.
The first session will begin at 8 a.m. in the municipal courtroom at 406 Main St. A second session, at 1 p.m., will be held for officers working the midnight shift.
The workshop is intended primarily for Greenwood officers, but officers from other neighboring or smaller departments may also attend, said Lt. Dennis Mitchell, the department’s domestic violence coordinator.
“We’re going to be training on the new laws,” Mitchell said. “We’ll have a representative of the state Attorney General’s Office, Heather Wagner of the Domestic Violence Division.”
In addition, Greenwood Municipal Judge Carlos Palmer, who also serves as a Leflore County Justice Court judge, will speak.
“He’s going to be talking about their testimony — about what he expects and what needs to be in the reports that are submitted to him,” Mitchell said.
The training counts toward officers’ annual in-service training, which is necessary to keep their law enforcement certification current, he said.
Consultant Clara Evans of the Itta Bena Police Department — herself a former Greenwood police officer — will provide training on how to respond to domestic violence calls, which often are the most deadly encountered by police, Mitchell said.
The workshop will end with remarks from Joe McCall, a counselor with Our House Inc. of Greenville, who will discuss the many programs the center offers. It is the only shelter for victims of domestic abuse in a nine-county area, including Leflore.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@ gwcommonwealth.com.
