Palestine police host Active Shooter Training
Aug. 23—The Palestine Police Department is working to ensure it is ready to take immediate action in an active shooter situation. The past two Saturdays, the Palestine PD conducted Active Shooter Training for 31 members of its staff on the campus of Trinity Valley Community College.
"The events in May in Uvalde, led a lot of agencies to evaluate if they are ready for an active shooter situation," said Chief Mark Harcrow. "We've all seen the problems that happened there with law enforcement's response and it is only prudent that we ask, 'Are we really prepared for something like that.' We hate to think it could happen here, but that is the reality of our world today. I am confident our agency is prepared.
According to Harcrow, the department used in-house instructors and air soft guns for this training.
"We try to make the scenarios as real as we can," Harcrow said. "While we are not using real guns and ammunition, the air soft guns fire pellets that actually hurt and leave a mark."
This is the first in-house class the Palestine PD has hosted in a while," said Harcrow. "We do a lot of training outside our agency to see what other techniques are being used by other departments and to ensure we are not living in our own world here."
According to Harcrow, the way law enforcement responds to active shooter events has changed significantly over the years. In the 1970s and 1980s, officers would deal with shooters by negotiation because generally the suspect was seeking to have demands met, however, after the school shooting in Columbine, Colorado when law enforcement realized that shooters were killing for the sake of killing.
"Now, there is no waiting," Harcrow said. "Whether there is one officer or 50, when you arrive, there is no waiting for a team. Every man makes entry and it's every man for himself. You don't prepare, you just go. Everyone goes in to stop the threat. It's a dynamic situation and you address the obstacles, like barricades, as you encounter them."
Harcrow said the department with the most resources is typically the one who ends up being in charge.
"In a situation like this, the highest ranking officer outside of this incident would take command, using info from those inside to make decisions," Harcrow said. "In the end larger state or federal agencies would take over because of their unlimited resources."
Harcrow said the Palestine PD is prepared to make entry into barricade situations, and does have breaching equipment.
The Palestine Police Department also offers Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events, known as CRASE, for organizations, businesses and civilians who desire to prepare for a crisis situation.
This class provides attendants with information on how to react to an active shooter situation in conjunction with law enforcement, with solutions and strategies which can be practiced by civilians to aid not only themselves, but also friends and family.
The class focuses on paying attention to your surroundings, learning when and how to flee, placing barriers between you and the attacker and denying the attacker access. The class also shows how to fight back, if necessary.
For more information, call the Palestine Police Department, 903-729-2254.
