In this day and age, it’s an unfortunate but true fact that all levels of law enforcement need to be prepared for hostage situations and mass shootings.
As first Columbine and later the Aurora, Colo. movie theater and Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings have shown us, there really isn’t a safe place to be anymore. No one ever knows if their trip to the grocery store or mall may end in a hostile situation.
That is why it is encouraging to see local law enforcement ”“ in this case the Kennebunk Police Department ”“ doing what they can to prepare for such a situation. While we hope the training is never needed, it’s better to be ready than to be scrambling when a 911 call is made.
Earlier this month, Kennebunk police officers partook of the “Active Shooter” training at a local school ”“ during the vacation week ”“ and some of the school’s faculty volunteered to help make the training more realistic. Officers learned how to breach a building, navigate smoky rooms and rescue potential victims.
The Portland Police Department facilitated the training, after participating in a “train the trainer” program in 2012, thanks to a Port Security Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. During that training, the Portland officers were able to engage in simulated active shooter scenarios and learned how to conduct the training themselves, offering both a classroom session and then one in “the field.”
Thanks to the efforts of the Portland Police Department, this training could be passed on to area departments, and it’s important that other departments that haven’t had the training take part as well.
Schools have their own emergency operations plans, so teachers and other staff know what to do in the event of an emergency, but they will likely be relying heavily on the swift and planned response of police and tactical teams in the event a shooter is ever on campus.
A shooter can strike at any time and at any place. The closest law enforcement teams will have the best chance of preventing loss of life by subduing the aggressor ”“ but that will only be likely if they are well-prepared and well-trained for such situations.
While we all want to believe this can’t happen in our town or in our schools, the truth is, it can happen anywhere, so we have to be ready to respond.
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Today’s editorial was written by City Editor Robyn Burnham Rousseau on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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