GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A new initiative is meant to help prevent tragedies in Northeast Wisconsin.
Following Wednesday’s fatal shooting at a Florida school, Green Bay Police says it’s offering a free active shooter response training to interested community organizations.
The four-hour session includes a combination of classroom presentations and group exercises.
One of the officers teaching the courses will be Lieutenant Jeff Engelbrecht, who says not having a plan in mind takes time away from the response, with time being of the essence.
“If you don’t have a mental blueprint for how you’re going to respond to this, I think your brain can shift into what we call psychological void.”
In addition to studying previous active shooter situations to dissect warning signs, responses, and outcomes, Engelbrecht says the course will discuss each of the options available to a person.
“It may be that they barricade themselves. It may be that they get out of there. Worst case scenario: we’re going to teach you how to protect yourselves and the ones who are entrusted in your care.”
Police Chief Andrew Smith says there’s an important rule to follow in trying to prevent these horrific events.
“If you know somebody is having an issue. If you know somebody is making threats. If you suspect somebody is going to do something like this, contact the police department.”
Green Bay Police increased presence at the city’s schools Thursday as a precaution.
Superintendent Michelle Langenfeld says she visited some of the district’s schools in the morning hours.
“It was typical. There weren’t a lot of questions. The administration made it a point to be in the hallways. The teachers were in the hallways, as usual. I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.”
GBAPSD Safety and Security Coordinator Chris Collar says the district and its staff members will work with the police department on security training, noting they have already had an active shooter training program in place for years, explaining the ALICE model.
“Evacuate the building, lock themselves down in the classroom, barricade the classroom, or take matters into their own hands and counteract what’s happening.”
Collar says the importance of having a program in place was reaffirmed when he heard one of the students at the affected Florida school say Wednesday’s events felt like a drill.
“The fact that it feels like a drill to him, and not a major incident, tells you that there’s lots of places that are already doing the same things that we are.”
Anyone interested in training should contact police headquarters at 920-448-3200. No definitive end date for scheduling a session has been given.
