Annual Mantracker conference remains a draw for law enforcement - Newnan Times-Herald

Since 1993, thousands of members of law enforcement have made an annual voyage to Coweta County to take part in Mantracker – the annual Public Safety Training Conference organized by the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office.

This week, nearly 1,000 members of law enforcement personnel from a multitude of agencies across Georgia and Alabama returned to further their training both in the field and in the classroom.

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The event began when the Georgia Department of Corrections teamed up with Coweta to teach K-9 handling, searches and tracking. These tactics are used mainly for escaped convicts, which is where the term “mantracker” comes from.

The conference is free, which makes it an asset for those in law enforcement looking to fill annual training requirements.

Officers attended sessions at the Rec Center, Senior Center, the firing range on Old Corinth Road, the Madras Center, 13 Stories and the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office.

In today’s political climate, Sheriff Lenn Wood says law enforcement training is arguably more important than ever.

“Training is what makes law enforcement understand what is acceptable and legal,” Wood said. “It’s important that agencies are doing everything they can to get better, and we’re grateful to help make that happen."

Coweta is also looking at building its own permanent first responder training center off Ishman Ballard Road, which would include a training campus for the Coweta County Fire Department, Coweta County Sheriff’s Office and 911.

For years, the county has shared a training facility with the city of Newnan on Greison Trail, but with the ongoing growth of the area, County Administrator Michael Fouts sees the move as beneficial for everyone.

The facility would host a wish-list of services for all local first responders, including classrooms, firing range, driving tracks and burn buildings on an extensive campus.

Sheriff Wood said his team recently met with directors and experts across the state to determine what works and what doesn’t for a successful training facility.

“We’re doing our due diligence to utilize the best layouts and equipment, so we’re state of the art from the get-go,” Wood said. “We’re really looking forward to seeing what we can do here.”

Law enforcement training has never been more important, Wood said. As a result, numerous agencies are sinking time and resources into ensuring their staff is up to speed.

But the cost of training isn’t cheap, so having a local option would be a major benefit for agencies in the metro-Atlanta and West Georgia regions.

“This is something our community can be proud of, and the value of it is keeping our folks local,” Wood said. “Many of the more specialized training isn’t offered locally. If we can create that opportunity, those smaller agencies can take advantage of that.”

source: https://times-herald.com/news/2022/04/annual-mantracker-conference-remains-a-draw-for-law-enforcement

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