CLAREMORE, Okla. — The Claremore Police Department is giving more active shooter training sessions every year. Officers tell 2 Works for You the demand spikes when the public sees a mass shooting.
"These organizations and businesses... as soon as they realize that this is a real possibility they think "maybe we need to start doing something, maybe we need to think about this." We just start getting those calls and we get a little overwhelmed with them at first," Claremore Police Officer Brian Burnett said.
The training is called ALICE: alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate. It's being used everywhere from churches to schools.
"Back in the day it used to be just, hide under a desk, or whatever. Hiding is not always the best option. Sometimes fighting back is your last resort and it is the better option," Burnett said.
Officers teach people how to barricade themselves, and pin down an intruder if they're confronted. The goal is making these events as realistic as possible.
"You can talk about what gunshots sound like but until you actually hear a blank go off in a church that you've been in or a business you've worked in for years and you hear this gunshot go off... it's an intense, intense training," Burnett said.
Officers said they're always trying to stay one step ahead, preparing their department and community with the latest training sessions.
"You have to be on your toes every day and be ready. Be thinking about each situation. If I'm here, what could happen? What do we need to do to keep the kids safe and keep the problem from occuring to begin with?" Officer James Sutton said.
From here the department plans on partnering with fire and paramedics, working together to figure out a city-wide response in the event of the worst.
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