CdA firm to provide online law-enforcement training

COEUR D’ALENE – A Coeur d’Alene firm has contracted with a Blackwater USA subsidiary to provide online training to law enforcement.

Blackwater USA, one of the nation’s largest military contractors, runs several centers where it trains private security officers and military personnel. The North Carolina firm has attracted national scrutiny for its millions of dollars worth of security contracts in Iraq.

“They’re a little controversial, but people don’t understand their full mission,” said Rick Gallia, CEO of The Backup Training Corp. in Coeur d’Alene.

Blackwater is sometimes associated with paid “mercenaries,” he said, but the firm only provides a security presence; they don’t engage in offensive measures.

Blackwater wants to increase its role in providing training to domestic law enforcement agencies, which is where the three-year contract with The Backup Training Corp. comes in, Gallia said. The Coeur d’Alene firm provides continuing education for police officers and other law enforcement officials through online courses.

Gallia declined to disclose the amount of the Blackwater contract, but said it will provide growth opportunities for his company. The firm employs 20 people, and will add about five more employees in the future, he said.