Training Overview

Currently, there are two classifications for Posse involvement. The first is called a "Basic Posseman." To achieve this, you must be 18 years of age and must enroll in training classes - Emergency First Care, CPR, Bloodborne Pathogens, Law & Legal, Traffic Control, and Radio Procedures. All Posse volunteers must take and successfully complete these classes. Every "Basic" Posseman is permitted to wear the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office uniform without a duty belt or weapon.

The second classification is called "Qualified Armed Posseman (QAP)." To achieve this, you must be 21 years of age and must enroll in the QAP program. The program consists of a total of 125 training hours. All possemen who successfully complete this training can wear the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office uniform with a duty belt and weapon.

Basic Posseman Training Courses

Law & Legal - 16 hours (2 days)

Mission of the Sheriff's Office

Policy, Law & Legal

Uniform Wear, Care, Ethics

Radio Procedures

Report Writing

Uniform Patrol Procedures

Crime Scene Preservation

Courtroom Demeanor

Officer Safety

Emergency First Care - 8 hours

First Aid

Bloodborne Pathogens

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) - 8 hours

Bloodborne Pathogens (annual retraining requirement) - 2 hours

Radio Procedures - 4 hours

Traffic Control - 8 hours (2 days)

Basic Traffic Control

Flare and Cone Procedures

Officer Safety

On day 2, students actually direct traffic in an intersection under the supervision of instructors.

Qualified Armed Posseman Training Courses

Mechanical Restraints - 4 hours

Handcuffing techniques and policies

Laws of Arrest - 4 hours

Limitations of arrest authority

Crimes and offenses

Definition of arrest

Elements of an arrest

Restraints that are not arrests

Probable Cause arrest

On View arrest

Arrest warrants

Elements of a valid arrest warrant

Service of arrest warrant

Authority to arrest

Duty of private citizen and officer making a citizen's arrest

Entering premises

Arrest notification

Use of Force Continuum

Prisoner safety and security

Paperwork associated with an arrest

INFORMATION: The Use of Force Continuum consists of the following graduated steps:

1. Officer presence

2. Verbal commands

3. Soft hands (compliance techniques, muzzled police service dogs, display of nonlethal weapons)

4. Nonlethal weapons (OC spray, Electronic Restraint Device)

5. Hard hands (strikes, baton, flashlight, kinetic energy projectiles, unmuzzled police service dogs)

6. Approaching deady force (carotid artery hold, kinetic energy projectiles fired toward vulnerable area)

7. Deadly force

Defensive Tactics - 8 hours (2 days)

Hand to hand techniques

Weapons Retention - 8 hours (2 days)

Holstered weapon retention

Drawn weapon retention

Disarming techniques

Chemical Agents - 4 hours

OC spray techniques

Different chemical agents

After the classroom time, each student is actually sprayed with OC.

INFORMATION: Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray is made from the oil of a South African chili pepper of the cayenne family. In terms of "Scoville Heat Unit" ratings, where a Jalapeno pepper is rated at 5000 and a Habanero pepper is rated at 300,000, the 5% OC spray carried by MCSO is rated at 2 million.

OC spray takes effect in 3-5 seconds and lasts for up to 45 minutes depending on the person.

The leading cause of in-custody death is Positional Asphyxia, aggravated by a combination of drug/alcohol involvement, pre-existing disease, and/or obesity.

Risk factors associated with the use of OC spray include bizarre/violent behavior, obesity, drug/alcohol involvement, and apparent ineffectiveness of the spray.

Deployment tactics: assess, defensive posture, present and display device, verbal warning (must be issued if at all practical - "stop resisting or I will spray you"), application - one second, re-deploy and assess, restrain and search, decontaminate the prisoner (in a safe area), notification and documentation.

F.A.T.S. - 2 to 4 hours

Decision making course, with actors on screen simulating situations where you must decide whether to use deadly force or not, and shoot accurately if necessary.

Basic Firearms Academy - 72 hours (7 days)

Handgun skills

Shotgun skills

Weapons nomenclature

Proper cleaning technique

Firearms safety

Malfunction clearing techniques

Night shooting techniques