News

McDonald urges supporters to attend training center Q&A

By Bill Moss, Published: March 19, 2017

Peppered by questions from citizens about the cost and need for a $20 million law enforcement training center, Sheriff Charlie McDonald is going on offense.

The sheriff will speak next week about the training deputies must undergo to proficiently provide the high quality of service Henderson County residents have come to expect and explain why he believes the new training center is needed. The meeting is at 6 p.m. Monday, March 27, in the Kaplan Auditorium of the public library in Hendersonville.

In an email blast, McDonald reminding supporters of a campaign event, the Bluegrass & BBQ, at 5 p.m. Saturday at Apple Valley Middle School, and added that he would like supporters to show up when he defends the law enforcement training center on Monday night.

"Also, we would love to have some of Sheriff McDonald's supporters present at his Law Enforcement Training Informational Meeting," the campaign email said.

“As your Sheriff, I would like answer questions posed by the citizens of Henderson County about why this training center is needed and how our citizens and law enforcement stand to benefit,” McDonald said in the announcement about the library Q&A. “The proposed facility is not just a shooting range, but a modern facility which allows deputies and police to train effectively in the highest liability aspects of modern law enforcement including all levels of use-of-force, defensive countermeasures and crisis de-escalation skills.”

Current training needs and features provided by the proposed Law Enforcement Training Center, including the backup communications capability and Blue Ridge Community College Basic Law Enforcement Training needs, will be outlined. This presentation is free and open to the public and will be followed by a Q&A.