Richmond Community College recently conducted a three-day course training law enforcement officers how to look for criminal indicators when performing traffic stops and patrolling the highways. The first two days were spent in the classroom: the third was spent on the highway practicing what they had learned. This practical component of the course resulted in the arrest of two suspects and the discovery of nearly $17,000 in a hidden compartment.

Richmond County Deputy Sheriff Warren Strong, a member of the Interstate Criminal Enforcement (ICE) Task Force attended the course and was one of the arresting officers.

“We’re the team patrolling the U.S. 74 and U.S. 220 corridors. We write speeding tickets and pull drunk drivers, but we’re also looking for drug traffickers.,” Strong said. “We know we have drugs in our communities, and they have to get there somehow - through car, truck, or 18-wheelers. Our job is to intercept them. We are the interdiction team. We can only stop a vehicle for lawful reasons, but once we do, we look for indicators that tell us if there is something suspicious. We can then ask if we can search the car.”

Sgt. Shawn Spence of the Henderson Police Department conducted the Criminal Interdiction course and covered criminal indicators, officers’ safety, case law and identifying false compartments. One of his assistant instructors was with the arresting officers and found the false compartment. The number of indicators triggered their search.

“Hwy. 74 runs from the port of Wilmington west through Charlotte. With today’s heightened concerns regarding terrorism and the drug trafficking organizations that have been linked to it, it is imperative that the average officer be able to identify criminal activity during the routine traffic stop and respond accordingly,” Spence said, “Agencies and their officers should remain vigilant and know how to take the traffic stop to the next level when the need arises.”

Strong said Spence was an excellent instructor and found it satisfying to go to class, get the training and actually apply it in a stop. Although he received interdiction training for his job, he said it was good to take the class every few years to learn new things and refresh your memory on material you covered in the past. He appreciated RCC offering the class, which was very convenient and was offered at no cost to the officers.

RCC Vice President for Administrative Services Brent Barbee said more than 50 officers participated in the training, including officers from each law enforcement agency in Richmond and Scotland counties. The class was requested by the Hamlet Police Department based on the need for specialized training on interdiction due to an increase in criminal activity involving drug smuggling.

“The officers received permission to operate in the jurisdiction of the various law enforcement agencies in Richmond County,” Barbee said. “The arresting officers were from Richmond, Scotland, Durham and New Hanover counties. The networking opportunities from the course will pay off for all departments in the future.”

Barbee said this type of seizure demonstrates the value of advanced training.

“RCC’s partnership with our local public safety agencies allows us to make these types of requests for advanced training a reality,” Barbee said. “Another added value to these courses is they don’t require the officers to travel great distances or spend money on overnight lodging. County budgets are tight, so an opportunity like this is hard to overlook. We look forward to offering more courses in the future.”