JCARL building to become training facility for sheriff’s office

The former Jasper County Animal Rescue League building, which is owned by the county, will be renovated into a training facility for the nearby sheriff’s office.

Following the regularly scheduled board meeting on June 27, sheriff John Halferty and sergeant Tracy Cross met with the county supervisors to discuss their proposal for the building. The sheriff’s office staff and other first responder units throughout the county have struggled to find places to train for years.

By having a year-round facility devoted to interior and exterior trainings, Cross said it would provide law enforcement officials opportunities to utilize all of their tools and test themselves in a variety of different scenarios. For instance, breach tools like rams or sledge hammers cannot feasibly be used on personal property.

“A lot of properties (used in the past) they ask that you don’t damage anything. They don’t want you shooting in the house with stun guns either because it can damage a window or a wall. Then we have to clean that stuff up or pay for it,” Cross said, noting the JCARL building would be a marked training facility.

Which would offset many liability concerns for the sheriff’s office. The marked training grounds may also give the sheriff’s office the ability to hold training courses with other departments and outside instructors. Cross said a lot of times instructors want specific amenities to teach, like a large enough gun range.

Sheriff’s office would most certainly construct a 50-yard gun range on the property, including a 100-yard section specifically for long-range shooting.

“We don’t have a range,” Cross said. “A lot of departments have their own ranges to save money and because of the safety concerns. Currently, we’ve been using Newton’s, Pella’s, Grinnell’s and Brownells (in Grinnell). Brownells is $850 a year. That’s kind of steep. The usage we get for it just isn’t what we need.”

Other law enforcement trainings would be possible at the facility, including patrol scenarios, room clearing and traffic stops, among others. It would also allow the Central Iowa Regional Tactical Team (CIRTT), which Jasper County is a part of, to train more effectively, and, again, utilize all of their tools and techniques.

Fire departments would be able to conduct vehicle extractions on-site, full-gear room clearing and breaching techniques. The building would also allow for medical-type training to help first responders expand their patient care and practice tactical medicine and medical rescues.

JCARL operated the building until mid-2020. Since there are kennels still left on-site, law enforcement agencies would be able to carry out K9 trainings, and the site is a large enough area to even practice search-and-rescue tracking. Cross said the building could also host community engagement classes.

“We have a lot of active shooter requests,” Cross said. “A lot of departments have a class every year for civilians to come in and learn what each department does.”

At the moment the interior of the old JCARL building is divided into a number of small rooms. Cross said this makes the property ideal for making different layouts for every training. In the future, the facility may even be remodeled to have moveable walls.

Remodeling and amenities for the training facility will be planned when money becomes available, Halferty told supervisors. Cross said the sheriff’s office would utilize grants and department training funds for the building. Changes to the building can be done in phases, too.

“Obviously, nothing has to be done right away,” Cross said.

In the future, Cross said other departments may even want to contribute funds to pay for supplies or items to continually hold trainings.

The sheriff’s office would oversee and maintain the usage of the building facility.

“We’re trying to keep things as low as we can but yet make the building usable and safe for everybody, and make it look good so it’s not just an eyesore down there,” Cross said. “We want it to look good so that when people show up they want to come back.”