HOUSTON — Training to respond to an active shooting situation is not an easy conversation, and it’s not a reality that most people want to face.
Pearland Police Department and Pearland Independent School District partnered to teach staff Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events, widely known as "CRASE."
“We’ve really taken to empowering civilians and taking them into a topic that’s very uncomfortable to talk about,” said Pearland Police Department’s Nick Palomo. “It’s very disheartening to talk about, but nowadays, it’s very necessary.”
In January, Pearland High School staff and administration participated in the training designed to teach them how to avoid, deny and defend against an active threat. They learned how to barricade rooms, stop traumatic blood loss and got to hear what a blank gun shot sounds like in their hallways to quickly identify an active shooting threat. New teachers arriving this week received the same training Monday.
“It’s really given me some peace of mind that we’re prepared,” said Pearland High School Principal John Palombo. “I had a lot of staff members that said it was the best training they’ve got in school especially in regards to safety.”
Since 2002, the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Program at Texas State University has been used to train law enforcement officers across the nation how to rapidly respond to dangerous active threat situations. As a result of increased public awareness, many citizens, including educators and administrators, have asked what individuals can do to protect themselves and reduce the dangers faced during of these events. Avoid, deny and defend has been developed as an easy to remember method for individuals to follow.
ALSO POPULAR ON KHOU.COM