by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
There’s always someone on your list that’s hard to shop for-- for that person here’s my best local Jacksonville gift idea: send them to Spy School.
Tucked in the warehouse area behind the Spy Store (also known as Spooktech), the owners are modifying the inside with walls and partitions. By January they should have their “Spy School” up and running. The warehouse has been modified to simulate the inside of a house, complete with an attic area. Owners Russ Leeman and Kelly Fromm plan to run their Shadow Ops Tactical Training out of the facility. Here, people can learn about surveillance, counter- surveillance, tactical ops and self defense.
Leeman says that they expect four types of customers, those from clubs, corporate team building sessions, ordinary citizens and law enforcement.
They expect some customers to come from air soft gun clubs and enthusiasts, who can hold challenges against opposing teams, as well as against Shadow Op’s own team. You can provide your own air soft gun, using 20 gram plastic BB’s with a limited power of three-hundred fifty fps. If you don’t have the equipment needed (or if your air soft gun is too powerful), Shadow Ops is happy to rent out air soft guns and flak jackets.
Corporations looking for a different kind of team-building activity can sign on for a weekend with the Spy School. “In this kind of situation, it really shows who the leaders are in the group,” says Leeman “It just tends to come out.” Each room is equipped with motion detectors so that they can monitor how thoroughly a room has been “cleared,” helping law enforcement trainees correct their mistakes before they’re in a real life-threatening situation and showing what corporate teams have learned. “We also have cameras in every room and we can record the session on DVD…so people can later revel in their triumphs and understand their mistakes.” Corporate teams can get a DVD as a memento and law enforcement trainees can review the recordings afterward.
The facility also includes an observation area and a control booth so that employees can monitor the rooms and control the environment. “We’re going to be setting up [slow] strobes for brief flashes of light in the dark areas.” The strobes will have the affect of allowing participants to briefly be able to scan the surroundings while disorienting them, because their eyes must again adjust to the low light. Even if you go back for training a second time, you might be surprised to find that the terrain has changed. The interlocking walls can be moved to change the layout, and doors can be added or blocked at will.
Besides the fun tactical exercises and training, you can also learn how to set up surveillance, just like a real spy. You can learn where surveillance is generally hidden, and how to sweep a room for bugs. In an age when stalkers are employing hi-tech gadgetry to place tracking devices on vehicles, keystroke capture on computers and listening devices in homes, this is good information to have, however paranoid it might seem.
Shadow Ops Tactical Training will also offer self-defense for both law enforcement and private citizens. “With the proper training a woman can overpower a man.” Leeman declares “I’ve seen a 12-year-old girl basically throw…a man who weighs two-hundred fifty like a rag doll.” They will also offer courses in gun safety, laws, storage and maintenance.
Courses run from about $40 to $100 depending on the level of complexity and duration. Spooktech is offering gift certificates for the Shadow Ops Tactical Training, so you can get a gift for somebody who thought they had everything! The school opens in January, but you can get gift certificates ahead of time. Call (904) 565-1004 to inquire, or just head to their store at 3633 Southside Blvd, just before Beach, coming from Tinseltown.
|
