MANSFIELD — Mansfield police Chief Jason Bammann found himself on the wrong side of the law Friday morning.
But it was all in good fun.
The chief was part of a nerf gun simulation of the the department’s recently completed “shoot house” at 310 Miller Parkway, which already has an outdoor shooting range and a classroom training building.
The new addition to the MPD’s training facility was done as a partnership with the North Central State College Police Academy, utilizing $224,580 in state grant money.
Designed and constructed by Getz Builders, the “shoot house” includes movable walls allowing officers to be trained in a variety of interior scenarios.
One of those scenarios came Friday when the chief portrayed the “bad guy” pursued by Mansfield City Council members Aurelio Diaz and Cheryl Meier, along with Mansfield Municipal Court Judge Michael Kemerer.
(Below are photos from the Mansfield Police Department training facility open house on Friday at 310 Miller Parkway near Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport. The story continues below the photo.)
It ended with the exchange of “nerf fire” at the back of the shoot house as he tried to hide behind a dresser.
“It gives us options,” Bammann said. “We can simulate a residence, conference room, classrooms, multiple locations for walls inside. It will give us something we can move around, and provide a range of training options for officers and students.
“It will be easy to manipulate so we are not always running into the same house,” the chief said, praising the work done by Getz Builders.
“All divisional training now occurs at this facility,” he said.
The chief said the shoot house provides a broader range of tactical situations, including the ability of “criminals” to “shoot back.”
“Simunition rounds have come a long way,” Bammann said. “In talking to (NC State Police Academy Commander) Brad Copeland, they are more apt to use it with simunition, anyway.
“When you introduce pain back at you, keeping in mind those paint balls do sting, it does tend to up your training,” Bammann said.
Bammann credited former police Chief Keith Porch and Assistant Chief Joe Petrycki as a driving force for the training facility. It was an effort that began when the MPD’s indoor shooting range at the Municipal Building was shuttered in 2017 due to concerns over lead.
“Those two are the ones who put in all the hard work in getting us to where we are at today,” Bammann said. “I just got handed the keys at the end to drive a really cool car and I want to thank them for all the hard work getting us to this point.”
The outdoor shooting range was opened in 2019 and the classroom training facility was constructed in 2021.
Bammann, who became chief in March when Porch retired to become the safety service director, said the training facility was now among the best in Ohio. It is already being sought after and utilized by law enforcement agencies around the state.
“In my 35 years, I would never have dreamed of this kind of training facility in Mansfield. But with a lot of hard work and dedication and partnerships, here we are,” the chief said.
North Central State College will also use the facility, as will security forces with the Ohio Air National Guard 179th Cyberspace Wing based at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport.