If and when local police agencies are called upon to diffuse an active shooter threat, they will arrive on scene prepared and in sync with all the local law enforcement agencies in the area thanks to a two week long joint training session that started this past week at Hamilton Hall on the grounds of the NYS School for the Blind.
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The two week session has been in the works since last October and was organized by Sgt. Dan Coffey and Chief Shawn Heubusch of the Batavia Police Department. It is the first time local law enforcement agencies have been able to train together in a real life scenario as opposed to just standing at the gun range shooting at a target.
“This gives you the opportunity to walk through a building that is similar to a classroom setting,” says Chief Heubusch.
“If we had to bring this training to Monroe County, where they have a great facility, it would be very difficult for us to get all of our resources up there to do this. So, having it centrally located in the City of Batavia brought all the local agencies, Sheriff’s Department, State Police, Probation Department, LeRoy Police and the City of Batavia Police all together, which is important.”
There are about 15 instructors, three of the main instructors have been through Federal National Threat Training. 6-7 officers go through the 8 hour training session at a time with a total of about 80-100 officers participating.
“We kept it small for the potential of injury, there is almost one instructor for every one officer,” says Officer Marc Lawrence, an instructor with the Batavia Police Department.
“Yellow tape tied to participant’s shoes shows everyone has been checked for weapons, guns, Tasers, pepper spray and asps. So when we are in here everyone is safe, there is no live ammunition that can slip in accidently. We are able to lock the doors and make this a sterile environment.”
Hamilton Hall has been vacant since the 80’s. The temperature is a dank 40 degrees and the inside the building presents challenging obstacles for threat on threat scenarios.
Officers are training using hard plastic pistols and long guns.
The first half of the training is called the red gun /blue gun scenario.
Participants use hard plastic guns in either red or blue color that are shaped just like each officer’s duty weapon. It is the same weight and fits in their holster the same, there just isn’t any trigger. Each team, made up of two or three officers, practice how to clear rooms, stairwells and hallways as they move though the building attempting to find and stop the active threat.
The second half of the day is a force on force scenario where bad guys are in different parts of the building.
“There is actual blanks being shot, so you hear gunshots and they echo throughout the hallway so you don’t know where they are coming from. You have guys running through the hallways yelling also because that is what happens in active threat,” says Officer Lawrence.
“Officers have to deal with these guys and go right to the threat if they see it.”
The two week training session prepares officers not only for active threat incidents,but every day scenarios.
“If there is a shooting at a business or school in the City of Batavia, you are going to have Probation officers, Sheriff’s deputies, State Police and LeRoy Police here. So getting everyone on the same page as far a tactics and techniques is important, you want to know what the person next to you is doing,” says Chief Heubusch.
On a daily basis police officers never know what is going to happen, where its going to happen or who its going to be, so training such as this can better prepare all law enforcement agencies in the area to deal with active shooter incidents.
“What you are expecting is violence.”
“You have to have the mindset going into this that you are going to be confronted by somebody that isn’t going to listen to you, that isn’t going to drop their weapon, that isn’t going to listen to commands. This training puts you in a scenario that trains your mind and physically puts you in the situation.”
When asked about the Parkland, Florida school shooting and the Deputy who was on scene who did not confront the shooter inside the school during the incident?
Heubusch says, “You have to be prepared that you may be outgunned, you have to be prepared and get into that warrior mode, you may be outgunned, but you are still going to have to take care of the threat.”