Sheriff's Office trains for active shooter response

Crook County Sheriff's Office hosted an active shooter training at Sundance High School on January 20, focusing on a scenario in which one or two officers must respond to an active shooter situation.

"The reality is that, if an active shooter incident occurs, it will likely be one or two officers that are able to respond in the critical first few

minutes and it is their responsibility to stop the threat," says Sheriff Jeff Hodge.

"There is not time to wait for backup or a SWAT team to arrive in these situations."

The training was delivered by TAC*ONE Consulting, a training company from Denver, Colorado, made up of former and current law enforcement professionals.

TAC*ONE describes its active shooter training courses as designed to address the threat of an active shooter or other violent critical incident at the workplace, on school, college or university campuses, in shopping malls or in churches.

The organization teaches police officer, SWAT, military and civilian training courses around the nation, with courses led by instructors who are experienced and have real-life knowledge of crisis situations.

"Many of the instructors have been involved in an actual active shooter response," says Hodge.

"The team of instructors incorporates lessons learned from all shootings that have occurred dating back to the Columbine school shooting in Colorado in 1999, which completely changed the way law enforcement trains and responds to active shooter calls."

The training itself consisted of two hours of classroom time, during which participants heard about the tactics used and decisions made during active shooter incidents across the country. It covered the theories behind life preservation and prepared offices to effectively respond alone, or in pairs, to an active shooter.

"The rest of the day was spent doing hands-on exercises. There were four volunteers from our community who were role players and Simmunition® rounds were used in live fire exercise," says Hodge.

"Simmunition rounds offer the ability to train with real guns, but they shoot a small paintball that leaves a mark when hit and also causes slight pain, which adds a level of reality that really enhances the training for the officers."

While the training took place in a school and focused on a school setting, says Hodge, the techniques can be applied to any active shooter situation.

All deputies from the Sheriff's Office took part in the training, alongside members of a number of neighboring agencies. This included Hulett Police Department, Moorcroft Police Department, Devils Tower Park Ranger, Weston County Sheriff's Office and Butte County Sheriff's Office.