Next week the office of District Attorney Michael Jackson and the U.S. Attorney’s Office from Mobile are sponsoring a program that will give area law enforcement like the Selma Police Department and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department added knowledge to their emergency response arsenal.

The two offices will be hosting a Law Enforcement Training Conference Tuesday, June 26 at the Carl Morgan Convention Center. The conference will provide training for things like hostage situations, school safety and apprehending violent offenders.

Selma Chief of Police William Riley said he is always pleased that the conferences are put on in Selma because it gives several of his officers added knowledge to be prepared in case of rare emergencies.

“That is one thing we love about this each year when they come — they really give us additional knowledge and training,” Riley said. “We are so grateful they come each year to put on a conference in our city.”

Officers from various agencies will be attending the conference from across the south and from Central Alabama including the Selma Police Department, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, the A.B.I., F.B.I., D.E.A., A.T.F., Fourth Judicial Drug Task Force and District Attorney Investigators. The training will be APOST certified for CEU and executive level training purposes.

Riley said his supervisors would learn more about hostage situations similar to the one that occurred in Midland City, Ala. earlier this year where a man held a schoolboy captive in a bunker for several days.

“If something like that were to occur, it gives us a better idea of how to deal with it and it also gives us an idea of the assets we have and the different agencies we can call to assist us in those situations,” Riley said. “Selma can be very busy at times and of course it’s good to know these things because we have to be prepared as much as possible if something of this nature should occur.”