Pubdate: Fri, 30 Dec 2011
Source: Nanaimo Daily News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2011 Nanaimo Daily News
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1608
Author: Jason Fekete

RCMP PLAN TO SPEND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS ON U.S. TRAINING
SESSIONS

The RCMP is preparing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to 
send police officers to Phoenix for three weeks of training where 
alcohol and drugs feature prominently and a bar is a hotel requirement.

The Mounties are planning six workshops - each three weeks long - in 
the sun-soaked Arizona city between April 2012 and March 2013 to 
train a few hundred RCMP, provincial and municipal police officers 
from across the country on recognizing and testing drug-impaired drivers.

Police say there's currently a dearth of officers in Canada with 
expertise in spotting and catching drug-impaired drivers. The RCMP, 
which administers the training of all Canadian police officers on 
drug recognition, says Phoenix is the teaching hot spot and best 
place to find high drivers in mass quantity.

The RCMP is calling for bids from hotels that can provide queen-or 
kingsized beds for around 35 people for each three-week training 
session, amounting to 680 guest room nights for each workshop and a 
total 4,080 room nights over the six sessions planned for Phoenix. 
Each workshop will include around 24 officers for training, six 
certified instructors and four to six additional officers practising 
to be instructors.

A couple of meeting rooms, including one with an on-site bar, are 
also required for training purposes. The force estimates the total 
hotel tab will range between $100,000 and $250,000, according to its 
request for proposals.

Sending more than 200 officers to Phoenix over the six training 
sessions - with return flights from major Canadian cities ranging 
from around $550 to $700 - will likely add at least another $100,000 
to the total bill. But RCMP officials say they're saving taxpayers 
potentially $120,000 by consolidating the training in one city this year.
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D