TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office hosted an active shooter training session for several law enforcement agencies across the state to better equip first responders in an emergency.
"If we are going to make a mistake, let’s make it here because when it is real life, and real counting, seconds matter and we are trying to eliminate all those mistakes for them,” Chris Polito, a Louisiana State University National Center for Biomedical Research and Training instructor, said.
Polito said officers are trained to stop at nothing to eliminate the threat.
“Everyone here raised their hand and swore,” Polito said. “That's the day they are actually going to do it. They know there is a possibility they can get hurt. They know there is a possibility that they are not going back to their loved ones, but they put that aside to risk their own lives to save others."
Polito said the course teaches active shooter response.
“It's not just geared toward schools, although we are using a school here, it is anything that there is a large amount of violence that could occur,” he said.
Drills range from sweeping hallways for threats, battering doors and entering with guns drawn, and life-saving measures like tying tourniquets.
Cpl. Daniel Gullett with TCSO said coordinating with other agencies is crucial.
“We all work in the same areas, and this just improves our response because God forbid if this does happen, a lot of it will be different agencies showing up,” Cpl. Gullett said. “Now we are all on the same page with the training. We know each other's faces."
Active shooting incidents are seen across the United States. An FBI report on active shooters from 2023 states that 48 shootings were designated as such.
It states 105 people were killed and 139 wounded.
According to the FBI those 48 active shooter incidents took place at five location categories – open space, commerce, education, residence, and health care.
The report states although incidents decreased by 4% from 2022, the number of active shooter incidents increased by 60% since 2019.
“Violence is out there,” Polito said. “We need to make sure that our law enforcement officers are capable of handling that. They are trained to do it to stop the killing and stop the dying. It's what we teach and preach."
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