Multi-agency active shooter training held by FCSD
April 5, 2023 at 6:41 p.m.
While students and staff were celebrating spring break, area law enforcement officials took advantage of an unoccupied Franklin County High School to conduct active shooter training.
On Tuesday, March 28, and Thursday, March 30, the Franklin County Sheriff's Department hosted active shooter training for area law enforcement. Both days consisted of various drills, from single-officer and multi-officer approaches to tactics and scenarios. Twenty-seven officers from the sheriff's department, Brookville Police Department, Laurel Police Department, Indiana State Police, Indiana Conservation Officers, Indiana State Excise Police and Franklin County Emergency Management gathered for several hours of training conducted by the two FCSD-certified active shooter instructors.
“The turnout was great," said FCSD Deputy Jason Lovins. "There are a total of nine law enforcement agencies that serve the citizens of Franklin County in one form or another. Of those nine, six were able to send officers. Franklin County EMA was able to attend as well. It is a win for not only us as officers but our community as a whole when these other agencies send officers to the training we host.”
Officers were trained in several areas, including single-officer response, multi-officer response, rescue teams, and tactics. Both days ended with scenario-based training where officers utilized air-soft-style weapons for a more dynamic feel. Officers playing the role of the active shooter discharged "blanks" to give the sound of live gunfire during the scenarios.
“It is vital to our community that we stay current with the latest tactics, best practices and case law," Lovins said. "We had this training scheduled for quite some time. Then the tragedy in Nashville occurred the day before our first session. It drives home the need to train. Not only that, but we are training as a team. Not one person or agency is better or more important than the other, but a team is for the greater good of our community. Teamwork is something we believe in at FCSD.”
Deputies would not only like to thank the other agencies for participating but also the Franklin County Community School Corporation for their continued partnership in allowing officers to utilize school facilities for training.
“We were training with several fire departments and EMS in the fall of last year when I saw someone peeking in the window," Lovins explained. "We were training on rescue response teams, which ties into the active shooter training. We happened to be training at a different school building. I recognized the individual, who was also a school board member at the time, so we invited him in to watch. He seemed to really appreciate being included in our training and spoke very highly of what we were doing at one of the following school board meetings. It is important for the public to know that we are training and preparing for those worst-case scenarios, yet hoping that we never have to use that training."
Latest News
E-Editions
Events
While students and staff were celebrating spring break, area law enforcement officials took advantage of an unoccupied Franklin County High School to conduct active shooter training.
On Tuesday, March 28, and Thursday, March 30, the Franklin County Sheriff's Department hosted active shooter training for area law enforcement. Both days consisted of various drills, from single-officer and multi-officer approaches to tactics and scenarios. Twenty-seven officers from the sheriff's department, Brookville Police Department, Laurel Police Department, Indiana State Police, Indiana Conservation Officers, Indiana State Excise Police and Franklin County Emergency Management gathered for several hours of training conducted by the two FCSD-certified active shooter instructors.
“The turnout was great," said FCSD Deputy Jason Lovins. "There are a total of nine law enforcement agencies that serve the citizens of Franklin County in one form or another. Of those nine, six were able to send officers. Franklin County EMA was able to attend as well. It is a win for not only us as officers but our community as a whole when these other agencies send officers to the training we host.”
Officers were trained in several areas, including single-officer response, multi-officer response, rescue teams, and tactics. Both days ended with scenario-based training where officers utilized air-soft-style weapons for a more dynamic feel. Officers playing the role of the active shooter discharged "blanks" to give the sound of live gunfire during the scenarios.
“It is vital to our community that we stay current with the latest tactics, best practices and case law," Lovins said. "We had this training scheduled for quite some time. Then the tragedy in Nashville occurred the day before our first session. It drives home the need to train. Not only that, but we are training as a team. Not one person or agency is better or more important than the other, but a team is for the greater good of our community. Teamwork is something we believe in at FCSD.”
Deputies would not only like to thank the other agencies for participating but also the Franklin County Community School Corporation for their continued partnership in allowing officers to utilize school facilities for training.
“We were training with several fire departments and EMS in the fall of last year when I saw someone peeking in the window," Lovins explained. "We were training on rescue response teams, which ties into the active shooter training. We happened to be training at a different school building. I recognized the individual, who was also a school board member at the time, so we invited him in to watch. He seemed to really appreciate being included in our training and spoke very highly of what we were doing at one of the following school board meetings. It is important for the public to know that we are training and preparing for those worst-case scenarios, yet hoping that we never have to use that training."