How law enforcement prepares for lockdown situations - WBRC
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The lockdowns at Oak Mountain High school and Oak Mountain Intermediate were scary for parents. So how does law enforcement prepare and respond to such chaotic scenes?
It’s something law enforcement all across the country work diligently to prepare for. Major Clay Hammac at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office stresses one of their most vital resources in lockdown situations are school resource officers.
“If we should find ourselves responding to a critical incident at a school, the very first thing that law enforcement leaders are going to do is look for the school resource officer. You tell us where you need resources. You tell us where you need bodies to move and go and flow, you tell us how we can help. This is your school, and we are coming to the rescue to help.”
Hammac says law enforcement across the country uses a Unified Training Model for active shooter situations. That way officers and deputies from different departments and agencies always know how to respond. He believes another key component is keeping the community informed.
“Communication is always going to be critical. We want to get as much information out to the public as quickly as possible.”
Deputies routinely train and go over the procedures in place for lockdown situations. That way parents can feel safe after they drop their children off.
“We always pray and hope for the best but we always train and anticipate the worst. So that we are prepared. So that our parents know when they drop their students off at school, they can breathe out and have a sense of peace and understanding that this is a safe place for my student. This is a safe place for my family member.”
Major Hammac stressed that de-escalation tactics are key in their training, but preservation of life remains their top priority in lockdown situations.
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source: https://www.wbrc.com/2022/03/15/how-law-enforcement-prepares-lockdown-situations/
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