Hattiesburg police active-shooter training begins

Hattiesburg police officers will be out in force this week as they participate in their annual active-shooter training at the University of Southern Mississippi.

“This is a way for us to stay proficient in our training that we learned for active shooters,” HPD spokesman Lt. Jon Traxler said during Monday morning’s training.

Officers re-create scenarios that could occur and practice how to handle the situation safely.

“We do this to keep us proficient so that should we have a situation, we could respond in a timely manner,” Traxler said.

An active shooter is someone who takes over a confined area with the intent to harm or kill many people. Active shooters can work alone or in groups and usually have “no pattern or method to the selection of victims, which results in an unpredictable and evolving situation,” according to the Department of Homeland Security website.

“Typically, the immediate deployment of law enforcement is required to stop the shooting and mitigate harm to victims,” the website says.

To that end, area law enforcement agencies go through the exercises annually and get updated on new techniques.

“We need to know how to react and be able to protect our citizens, because at the end of the day that’s what we’re here for is to protect them.”

HPD’s training is taking place at Roberts Hall on the east side of campus, near M.M. Roberts Stadium and the School of Kinesiology building.

Next week, University Police Department will be holding similar training exercises for its staff. The training will be at the former Pine Haven apartments on the west side of campus near Sorority Village.

“Nationwide we’re seeing an increase in active threats — individuals on campuses or public places with weapons, and when these incidents occur, law enforcement has to be ready and prepared with equipment and training to address the individual and threat,” Southern Miss Police Chief Bob Hopkins said in an earlier story.

Paintball rounds will be used during training, and no live rounds will be allowed in the training area. However, the training locations for HPD and UPD will be off limits during the training sessions. Signage will be posted notifying the public of the training.

What to do

Good practices for coping with an active shooter situation include:

• Be aware of your environment and any possible dangers.
• Take note of the two nearest exits in any facility you visit.
• If you are in an office, stay there and secure the door.
• If you are in a hallway, get into a room and secure the door.
• As a last resort, attempt to take the active shooter down. When the shooter is at close range and you cannot flee, your chance of survival is much greater if you try to incapacitate him or her.
• Call 911 when it is safe to do so.

Source: Department of Homeland Security