Porter County Sheriff's Department

Robbery Survival Training Program

(Photo Courtesy of Gregg Gearhart / The Times)

VALPARAISO The Times-- The guns, the demands for cash and the yelling made it seem like a real robbery.  But the "robbery" Thursday morning at a Valparaiso bank was only a mock robbery to prepare the employees in case a real robbery ever occurs.  The robbery survival training course is offered by the Porter County Sheriff's Department. Chief Deputy Dave Lain, who formulated the program, said the training is offered to any bank or convenience store in Porter County.  Lain said the reaction from employees has been "overwhelmingly positive." Perhaps the most important thing the employees take from the training is that they understand what emotions they are going to feel during a robbery, allowing them to focus on staying calm so they don't unintentionally antagonize the robber, he said.  Several banks have taken part in the training. And employees of Welsh Mart recently became the first convenience store employees to undergo the training.