United States Attorney Booth Goodwin spoke to 150 West Virginia law enforcement officers during a July 25 Preventing Violence Against Law Enforcement and Ensuring Officer Resilience and Survivability training conference, or VALOR.
VALOR is a Department of Justice initiative that offers a variety of resources to law enforcement officers, including technical assistance, data on emerging threats and tactical training to help assess and confront high-risk situations like ambush-style assaults.
"The VALOR training program has been recognized by many professionals in the law enforcement community as one of the country's top training seminars and I'm pleased to co-host such a significant event here in the Southern District," Goodwin said in a release.
As part of the U.S. Attorney General's Officer Safety Initiative, VALOR was created to respond to a nationwide increase in assaults that have taken the lives of law enforcement officers.
Last year, according to statistics maintained by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, a total of 177 federal, state and local law enforcement officers lost their lives in the line of duty. This is a 16 percent increase from 2010.
"Keeping law enforcement officers safe is paramount. Each day, our men and women in uniform are faced with extremely dangerous situations. It is essential that they receive the finest training and cutting-edge technology and resources that we have available," Goodwin said.
Wednesday's VALOR training featured instruction from law enforcement specialists with experience in threat assessment.
Conference participants were provided with various techniques and tools to prepare for potential violent encounters.
Attendees were also provided with tools to increase their ability to identify concealed weapons, as well as instruction on how to approach high-risk tactical situations that may involve active shooters.
Goodwin said the incident that took place in Aurora, Colo., less than a week ago emphasizes the importance of law enforcement training and preparedness.
"Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families of the victims and survivors of the Aurora shooting tragedy." Goodwin continued, "When an unspeakable tragedy unfolds, we rely heavily on the skills, decision-making and bravery of our first responders. That is what makes training courses such as VALOR so important."
The conference was co-hosted by the United States Attorneys' Office for the Southern and Northern Districts of West Virginia and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Regional Organized Crime Information Center and the West Virginia Department of Justice and Community Services also served as co-hosts of the training session.
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