More than two months after Seung-Hui Cho went on his violent rampage at Virginia Tech, local law enforcement agencies continue to develop better response plans in the event of an active shooter.
This week LSUPD joined 23 other law enforcement agencies from around the state in the two-day Law Enforcement Active Shooter Emergency Response course hosted by the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The University’s Academy of Counter-Terrorist Education, part of the National Center for Biomedical Research, provided the instruction for the course. Instructors included former and current law enforcement and military personnel.
According to Sheriff Greg Phares, the course was designed to demonstrate to participants the importance of aggressive action by first responders. “The course was designed to equip first responder law enforcement, not SWAT,” he said. “We are trying to teach what used to be SWAT tactics. When something like Virginia Tech happens by the time SWAT gets there its all over.”
The University program travels across the nation to provide the training to law enforcement agencies. The program receives funding from the Department of Homeland Security, said Jennifer Hughes, manager of public affairs.
The trainees first engaged in classroom instruction as well as basic practice exercises at the EBR Sheriff’s training facility in Zachary. The trainees learned about advanced room clearing, and movement techniques and how to quickly form a plan of action at the scene.
Part of the training involved breaching barricaded doorways.
After the Virginia Tech shooting law enforcement observed that Cho had used chains and padlocks to hinder police response.
The second day of training took place at Woodlawn High School. The exercises conducted were more hands on and involved realistic weapons that fired small pellets.
Inside the different rooms training participants posed as victims with multiple shooters threatening them. Two officers were then instructed to enter into the gym and quickly clear the rooms and neutralize the shooters.
“It was a lot of fun and a lot more hands on,” said Officer Donald Tezano of the Southern University Police Department.
Tezano said he would bring back the information he learned through the exercises to help instruct the rest of his department.
Phares said that after the Columbine High School shooting, there was a paradigm shift in how law enforcement developed strategies to stop shooters. The new strategies put more focus on the first responders acting quickly.
“The typical street officer used to try and contain. Now they respond,” he said.
Sgt. Dan Chasson of the University of Louisiana Monroe Police Department said this was the fourth training exercise he had been to in six weeks. Chasson has been designated the training officer for his department.
Chasson stressed the importance of having a standard procedure in dealing with threats such as active shooters when multiple agencies are involved. He said he will apply the information he learned in the training exercises that ULM provides for the region’s law enforcement.
“What the training does is it puts everyone on the same page,” he said. “I know what you’re going to do and you know what I’m going to do.”
—Contact Mark Macmurdo at [email protected]