MATTAWA — Mattawa Police Department officers took a day to learn more about leadership and cooperation in a training exercise that was also a chance for officers and their families to spend some time together.

Mattawa Police Chief Joe Harris said the September exercise was part of the “officers call” program, a monthly training meeting. “These meetings provide an opportunity for the entire team to come together, conduct training and make sure everyone is on the same page,” Harris said. “During these meetings we discuss issues facing our community and develop creative solutions to address them. We share information amongst ourselves and make decisions as a team.”

Harris said he also conducts leadership training during the meetings. Since January, all MPD personnel have been reading the book “Extreme Ownership,” by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, and each meeting has included a discussion of the book, Harris said.

September’s meeting was a little different – it was an all-day event and ended with a barbecue for MPD personnel and their families at the home of Mattawa Mayor Scott Hyndman. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office volunteered to cover MPD calls during that 24 hours.

“It just brings the team together,” Harris said of the daylong training.

Team building games that day were designed to help improve listening and communication skills, Harris said. “In many police calls (MPD officers) have to deal with tons of information coming at them,” he said. “Lots of people talking at once, many of them very emotional, and dealing with some sort of crisis. It can be hard to keep details straight and facts correct. These exercises help with that.”

Officers were paired and one was asked to describe a picture to the other – but without saying what items were pictured. A second exercise required everyone to stand on a railroad tie, and arrange themselves in a specified order. “As we arranged ourselves on the tie, we had to do so without talking and without stepping off the tie,” Harris said. Along with communication and cooperation skills, the exercises help build trust among MPD members, he said.

He expressed gratitude to Hyndman and the citizens of Mattawa. “We cherish the relationship our team has with the community and we strive hard to do the best we can,” he said.