Last week, Bladen County Sheriff’s Office Specialized Training Unit hosted an intensive Mantracking Class for local Deputies, regional Law Enforcement officers, and members of Bladen County Emergency Management, according to Instructor Gary Turlington with the BCSO Specialized Training Unit.
In attendance this week were members of the Bladen, Columbus, and Horry County Sheriff’s Office, NC State Highway Patrol, Bladen Emergency Management, and a member of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office from Cleveland, Ohio.
“With logistical support from Bladen Community College, we requested Charlie Williams, owner of Pineland Resources Inc. of Ellerbe, NC and his cadre of instructors to teach this special technical class,” Sgt. Turlington explained.
Mr. Williams is a retired member of the United States Army Special Forces with twenty years in service. He and his instructors train members with the same techniques used by elite special forces, according to Turlington. Additionally, Williams and his team teach force protection integration in the event a dangerous fugitive is on the run by foot.
The training prepares class members by teaching techniques in identifying evidence left by person(s) that may be lost or suspects evading authorities. The evidence left by a lost person or a suspect must be recognized in order for officals to track the person from one location to another. The class taught those in attendance how to recognize evidence and use it to track the person of interest.
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Instructor Turlington retired from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol where he was responsible for these types of specialized training programs for NC Troopers.
He said, “I have long known that Mr. Williams did this as a profession and conducted searches for personnel all over the eastern seaboard and anywhere else he was requested through NC State Emergency Management. That fact combined with his decades of experience in the elite special forces and having taught these techniques for an additional two decades, made my decision to request his assistance pointedly logical.”
Instructor Turlington stated, “He (Williams) trained hundreds of my Troopers at my request through course deliveries I scheduled through various community colleges hosted by the NC State Highway Patrol Academy.”
“There are other persons out there that tout that they teach these special tracking techniques, but consider that Mr. Williams teaches from the perspective of actual ground experience and currency of his techniques compiled with real-world active service. He and his personnel have been involved in two search and rescue (SAR) events here in Bladen County as volunteers,” Instructor Turlington explained.
The support afforded to the Sheriff’s Office trainings by the Rangers of Jones Lake State Park and Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest is greatly appreciated by all involved.
“The vast woodlands offer unmatched training opportunities for these attending students. As I have said many times before, a better trained and prepared officer is a more professional officer. The opportunity to train and work with allied agencies affords us a means to better serve our community and region,” Instructor Turlington said.
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