Surviving Hidden Weapons for Police

This course is designed for sworn law enforcement and is approved for several training mandates, including Lead Homicide Recertification (8 hours credit).  Instruction will include concealment areas on people, purchased and self-made items, altered devices, and armaments that are specifically designed to conceal dangerous weapons.  Emphasis will be placed on refocusing officer safety skills and using various tactical advantages.  The course is highly interactive with several live demonstrations showing proper search techniques and proactive safety procedures.  Students will view real-life videos of “winnable” situations to illustrate officer safety learning points.  Hundreds of dangerous concealed weapons will be shown and discussed.

The program will be conducted by Chief Steve Johnson of the Swansea Police Department.  Following 25 years of service, Steve retired from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department in 2014.  During his career he supervised the Criminal Investigation Section, the Drug Tactical Unit, the Street Crimes Unit, the Special Response Team (SWAT), the Warrant Section, the Evidence Section, the DEA Taskforce, the Auto Theft Taskforce, and the Domestic Violence Unit.  Steve spent 14 years as the Supervising Investigator specializing in Violent Felonies and Computer-Based Crimes and as a Supervisor of the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis.  Steve teaches courses on hidden weapons (for police and corrections), threat assessment, safety planning, leadership and management, instructor development, defensive tactics, use of force, handling persons with mental illness, workplace violence, school violence, and active shooter response.  He also teaches the Street Survival Seminar for Calibre Press.