More than 70 law enforcement officers and criminal justice professionals from around western Montana will receive sexual assault response training Monday and Tuesday.

The Missoula Police Department, Missoula County Sheriff’s Department, The University of Montana Department of Public Safety and the Office of Planning and Grant’s JUST Response Program are partnering to host this training.

Through a competitive application process, Missoula was chosen as one of 15 jurisdictions in the nation to receive this comprehensive training free of cost to the Missoula community.

The National Law Enforcement Training and Capacity Building Project will conduct the training, which is provided by the Oregon Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force. The LETCBP model focuses on skill building, collaboration and increasing sensitivity for victims. The two-day training will take place at UM.

Missoula County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jason Johnson said this training is not related to the recent focus on sexual assaults at the University of Montana, and Missoula in general. He said the training had been requested by Missoula authorities long before the first reports of sexual assaults on campus.

Johnson said the training will primarily take place on the University of Montana campus.

Missoula County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jason Johnson

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