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newportbeachindy . com MAY 10 , 2024 7
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Retired Marine is the Big Shot When He Trains Newport Cops
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family drama with light humor and metaphysical concerns . Summarized at NTAC as “ a warmhearted holiday story about the virtues of acceptance and religious understanding ,” it runs in the holiday timeslot from November 15 through December 8 . Board member ( and frequent NTAC director ) Floyd Harden and box office co-manager Suzy Cachero acted out a comedic scene about a couple making a frantic phone call to a doctor with their host in the next room trying to recover from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his earlobe , a scene from the 1988 Neil Simon comedy “ Rumors .” The season ’ s
Newport Beach PD Range Master Vince Kyzer ( right ) trains a Newport Beach Police Officer . Photo courtesy NBPD .
By Richard Simon | NB Indy
In the past six years , retired U . S . Marine Gunner Chief Warrant Officer 5 Vince Kyzer has written , directed and produced more scenes than Edward Albee , Woody Allen , Truman Capote and Neil Simon combined .
All of his creations — whose singular theme is survival — have played out in a “ theater ” in the basement of the Newport Beach Police Department .
Kyzer ’ s actors really aren ’ t performers ; they ’ re the city ’ s sworn officers who every other month undergo stringent survival scenario and shooting training designed by Kyzer to greatly enhance the chances that all the cops go home at night should they encounter life-threatening dramas in real life .
In Newport , that could include confrontations in foggy conditions ; or low- light encounters , plus equipment malfunction in any number of potential situations . Kyzer studies real life police action reports from around the nation to make sure he covers the training bases .
If there ’ s laughter to be had in any of his productions , it ’ s mostly due to relief at finishing Kyzer ’ s oft-stressful , real-life-based rehearsals in the department firing range .
“ Realistic training produces realistic results ,” the department ’ s Range Master emphasized . He brought that mantra to the NBPD in 2018 after retiring from a 30 year military career ; he finished as one of only five CWO- 5s in the 175,000-member Corps — an almost impossible rank to achieve . That comes with years of lauded and dedicated service , and training in everything from marching basics “ as a dumb grunt ” to advanced leadership training courses for both peace and war ; and , of course , lessons in the use , care and deployment of “ advanced infantry weapons .”
Like so many kids upon graduation from high school , 18-year-old Kyzer had no idea what he wanted to do . A buddy of his dad ’ s , who had served in the Marines and who lived down the street in Medford , Oregon , told Kyzer “ You ’ ll never make it as a Marine .”
“ That was all l needed ,” recalled Kyzer .
For the first 16 years , Kyzer served in the Infantry , the ground-fighting element of that service , advancing ultimately to the rank of Gunner — of which there are only 100 within the Corps at any one time .
As Gunner , “ You ’ d be the eyes of the fighting unit commander , because simply they just couldn ’ t be everywhere ,” he explained . “ A Gunner ’ s observations increased the survivability on the battlefield .” Gunner Kyzer provided that field expertise in several Middle Eastern conflicts .
only comedy , the show runs January 17 to February 9 , 2025 .
Actor Kyra Alvarez performed “ Right-Hand Man ,” singing the lyrics to board member ( and set designer and builder par excellence ) Jim Huffman . The number is from the 2015 musical “ Something Rotten ,” alternately billed as “ a very new musical ” and “ a hilarious musical smash .”
Set in England in 1595 , the show by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick and John O ’ Farrell depicts two showbiz crazy brothers competing with Shakespeare for attention by and recognition from the theater-going
During peacetime , CWO5 Kyzer would be the “‘ advance guy ’ during training exercises to lay out the groundwork to make sure no round , bullet or grenade would land in someone ’ s backyard . As proof of his successes in both peace and war , Kyzer proudly proclaimed , “ I never got my boss fired .”
While many ex-military men sit back on the porch to reminisce and spin yarns , Kyzer had no such intention when retirement approached : “ I wanted to continue to train men and women in something . That opportunity came about when a friend told me about the Range Master position at Newport . My application took longer to vet because of my complex Marine history ,” Kyzer recounted .
It wasn ’ t just military service that qualified Kyzer for the position , it was his academic achievements , as well : a BA in Forensics and an MA in Criminal Justice from American
public and being frustrated and thwarted at every turn .
NTAC synopsizes “ Something Rotten ” as “ a clever and hilarious satire of musical theater and an exuberant celebration of the arts , creativity and the sheer joy of musicals ” and is running it from March 14 to April 13 .
Bendetti and fellow board member Lori Kelley acted out a scene between wives and moms Mrs . Webb and Mrs . Gibbs , whose names tipped off next season ’ s fifth show as “ Our Town .”
The show was described as “ the
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Military University . Besides his work at NBPD , Kyzer is an adjunct professor of Forensics and Criminal Justice at Park University , an online institution focused on the law enforcement profession .
“ As range master , safety-based training is my primary responsibility ,” Kyzer said . “ In my six years here , no officer has seen the same scenario twice . I always try to bring a live , immersive and ever-changing environment to training . My goal is for them to make a mistake with me , and not out on patrol .”
The real world dictates some of the curriculum . Kyzer and or his team members train in “ a couple of things first : first aid and CPR . Another is defensive tactics ( control and arrest ), followed by training on all the tools they wear around the belt .”
A fully loaded duty belt can weigh between 20 and 25-pounds , certainly not welcome during a foot chase but appreciated come apprehension . That ’ s a heavy reason why Newport officers are such a well-conditioned bunch .
A typical duty belt includes firearm and holster , spare ammo magazines , handcuffs and case , radio and holster , flashlight and holster , Taser and holder , pepper spray ( OC ) and holster . Of course , that doesn ’ t include additional “ tools ” in uniform pockets , from personal phones to pocketknives to vitamin-packed energy bars .
In addition to training and management of the range facility , Kyzer is responsible for the “ function , serviceability and maintenance of every weapon platform that the city owns ,” plus the annual audit to make sure all weapons are accounted for .
The duty belt is light compared to the heavy responsibility every cop carries with them . According to Kyzer , police officers operate according to what is called the priority of life : Victims , innocent bystanders , other responders ( fire and ambulance ), themselves and lastly a dangerous suspect .
Obviously , being a Newport cop ( or any cop ) is a profession requiring inordinate training , conditioning , and the ability to make split-second decisions that hold up under legal and political scrutiny .
In fact , said Kyzer , California is second only to New York in terms of restrictions placed on law enforcement .
Kyzer obviously takes immense pride in having served the country as a U . S . Marine .
But he also takes great pride in helping to train Newport ’ s police officers in those skills necessary for both their personal safety , and the well-being of the community .