NORFOLK – Northeast Community College criminal justice students sunk to new lows in a training exercise here recently. Approximately 25 students had the opportunity to rappel down the side of the Norfolk Fire Training Facility, located just down the street from the Norfolk campus.

“It was pretty exciting,” said student Shelby Schmidt, West Point. “Going down the first time was pretty…pretty hard. But once I got the hang of it, it was good.”

This was the first time Schmidt has attempted anything like this.

“The first thing that went through my mind as I stepped over the railing was will someone help me out at the bottom. But once I got over (the railing), the belt loop tightened, I said, ‘Oh, man, I’m really about to do this.’ I stepped down and just went for it.”

One part of the experience that stayed with Schmidt was when she able to invert herself while climbing down, or as she said, “Be like Spiderman.”

“Spiderman was pretty thrilling because you got to flip upside down, but then you have to figure out different angles because you can’t see very well. But once I got a hold of it, it went pretty smoothly.”

Matt McCarthy, Northeast criminal justice program director and instructor, said members of the Nebraska State Patrol’s Troop B SWAT Team instructed the students.

“We’re lucky enough to have members of the Patrol’s SWAT Team come out and teach the students how to rappel. It’s something that takes quite a bit of training, but it is a lot of fun for the students to do.

McCarthy said the additional interaction between the students and the officers was invaluable.

“They got some nice one-on-one time with troopers in a situation that can’t be beat. They’re just sitting up there and chit chatting with them, laughing with them, joking with them, which absolutely is the best environment for all those involved. Captain (Paul) Hattan and his staff have always been really, really good about letting us do this.”

Hattan, Troop B Commander, said the exercise served as a great opportunity for his officers to interact with students who may be working side-by-side with his troopers one day.

“This allows us to show the students another side of what we do as law enforcement officers and as a SWAT Team. Hopefully, we can also get some recruitment out of it and get some new shining stars who will join the ranks of the Nebraska State Patrol or just to get in law enforcement in general.”

One of those people may be student Manny Diaz, Madison. Diaz, who hopes to be become a trooper with the Nebraska State Patrol, said rappelling down the side of the building was thrilling.

“It was exciting….I got a good adrenaline rush out of it. You have to get the hang of it at first and I struggled with it, but the second time I got really good at it. I liked it!”