Training credited for Success in Barricade Incident

Training is being credited for the successful outcome of a weekend barricade situation in Walhalla.  Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Jimmy Watt gives details.  “We are very pleased that this situation resolved itself without any injury to anybody.  We were happy that he came out and surrendered himself without incident.  Obviously a lot of times you have to give the praise to God when things like that happen number one but number two is I think it really speaks to the kind of training that the Sheriff’s Office goes through to be able to go to a situation like that, remain calm, go through all the proper procedures step by step to resolve that situation.” Watt is amazed at the amount and different type of training that deputies undertake each year. “Since I have been there a little over three months and this probably shouldn’t have surprised me but it does, the amount of training, every year, that deputies and law enforcement go through, it is just really amazing.  But when you get into a situation like we had on Sunday, you see where the benefits of that training pay off.” Deputies with the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office receive training year round with major training exercises taking place on a given weekend.