The Wilkes University Department of Public Safety is hosting over 40 officers from three states to attend a four-hour course addressing civilian response to active shooter situations. The training will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on Friday, Dec. 8 in the ballroom of the Henry Student Center, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre. The course is designed as a train-the-trainer seminar, allowing attendees to share their knowledge across police departments and in their communities.
The Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events course was designed and built on the avoid, deny, defend strategy developed by Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training, ALERRT. The course provides strategies, guidance and a proven plan for surviving an active shooter event. Topics include the history and prevalence of active shooter events, civilian response options, medical issues, and considerations for conducting drills. Participants in the course will receive a manual and PowerPoint presentation suitable for use in their own presentations.
There is no charge for the training. Up to 100 officers can attend the course.
More than 80,000 law enforcement officers across the nation have been trained in ALERRT operations and tactics to respond to active shooter situations. In March of 2013, the FBI announced that ALERRT is the national standard through which they are training their agents.
