There are two Lynn Police officers who are directly involved in all aspects
of training related to the Lynn Police Department. They are Lieutenant John
Scannell, a certified firearms instructor, and Officer Alice Parker, a State
and Nationally certified Para-Medic. Along with the skills of these of these
officers, the Training Unit also has access to the services of other members
of the department; who are Attorneys, Emergency Medical Technicians, and
Firearm Instructors.
The Training Unit coordinates or conducts all department recruit training,
departmental in-service training, and off-site in-service training attended
by department officers.
Providing police officers with up to date training on topics such as use of
force, domestic violence, legal updates, firearms, motor vehicle pursuits,
officer safety, and the like long ago ceased to be a "luxury" item
in police department budgets. In fact, the quantity and quality of police
training is an issue in virtually every lawsuit filed against cities for the
actions of their officers. Of course, more importantly, consistent
high-quality training of our officers provides our community with better
policing and hopefully reduces the number of cases where such lawsuits are
even filed.
In-Service Training Room
( back of room toward front )
The Lynn Police Department takes it's training responsibility seriously. Every
year each sworn member of our department, up to and including the rank of
captain, must attend and successfully complete four days of in-service
training conducted by department staff.
The Chief and Deputy Chiefs monitor portions of the in-service training and
regularly attend numerous professional seminars and other meetings throughout
the year.
Computerized Firing Range
( Lt. Scannell in Control Room )
Another illustration of how seriously we take our training is our firearms
qualifications. Every officer, up to and including the Chief, is required to
attend and successfully complete firearms qualifications annually. This
training includes a review of department policy on the use of force as well as
a series of live fire drills and the MCJTC firearms qualifications course.
Officers who fail to successfully complete their firearms training on their
scheduled date must turn in their duty weapon before leaving the range. They
are not allowed to work on the street, work any overtime, or work any details
until they successfully complete this training.
Department instructors are certified by the Massachusetts Criminal Justice
Training Council (MCJTC) and others prior to instructing our officers. The
Training Unit is also responsible for coordinating and scheduling the training
necessary to re-certify department instructors in various fields.
