EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS: The practical portion of the class is set for 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 30 at the Dothan Police Training Facility on Westgate Parkway at the old Air National Guard Building. This event is open for coverage and would present the best opportunity for visuals. Contact Clif Lusk via email to confirm your organization’s coverage on Friday. DOTHAN – More than 20 area law enforcement officers are receiving specialized training in the drug wars, thanks to a program co-sponsored by Troy University and local law enforcement agencies. The certification program teaches officers techniques for entry and assessment of clandestine drug laboratories. The week-long training is the first of its kind in the Dothan area, and is provided by a partnership of Troy University Police, the Dothan Police Department, Houston County Sheriff’s Department and Dothan Fire and Rescue. District Attorney Doug Valeska is also supporting the program by providing electronic media storage for participants. “This is the first time a certification program has been conducted by local agencies,” said Jim Smith, public safety coordinator on the Dothan Campus. “In the past, agencies had to send officers to distant training facilities or pay vendors to provide the training.” Smith estimated providing course locally saved more than a dozen law enforcement agencies $10,000 to $12,000 in training costs. The course is designed to teach law enforcement officers how to operate safely in detecting, entering, assessing and sampling clandestine drug labs. Key instructors for the course include Smith, Dothan Police Bomb Squad Commander Lt. Scott Heath, Sgt. Jackie Smith of Houston County Sheriff’s Department and Capt. Jeffery Ward, of Dothan Fire-Rescue, who taught participants about the use of personal protective equipment and decontamination processes. The training continues through Friday, when participants will be put through a practical exercise.