Officers in full tactical gear take defensive positions and carry out coordinated exercises during a drill, including emergency scenarios like a shooter-hostage incident or mass casualty situations.
This was the scene recently as several South Florida law enforcement agencies took part in an emergency training session.
Called Heat Shield 2, the new training exercise trains first responders on the latest tools and techniques. The exercises tested regional agency coordination, and response and rescue efforts.
Law enforcement, emergency management, and fire rescue all trained in this preparedness together, keeping the community safe in case of a catastrophic event, man-made or natural.
The LaGrange (Ohio) Police Department forged a similar partnership with the FBI. It recently hosted an Active Attack Integrated Response course at a local elementary school. The training session brought first responders from across Ohio, and all the way from Louisiana and Georgia.
The ALERRT curriculum used in the Ohio training has been part of FBI’s standard active shooter response training since 2012. It helps state and local officers prepare for emergencies and catastrophes.
It also helps establish partnerships between local law enforcement agencies. The one-week, intensive course focuses on integrating the response and tactics of first responders.
Active shooter training is mission critical for the safety of the nation. But we see increasing partnerships in other areas, too.
For the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, law enforcement agencies are teaming up with AAA to prevent road accidents.
We see a surge of road trips every holiday, and this Memorial Day will be no different. According to the AAA, 41.5 million people will be traveling this weekend.
While there are more cautious drivers out there, it takes one mistake to cause a catastrophic accident. This program is called Operation CARE (Combined Accident Reduction Effort). This partnership will focus on keeping all drivers safe.
Another program growing in popularity is the Toward a More Safe and Secure World initiative. The U.S. Department of State runs this multijurisdictional law enforcement training.
It not only trains American officers but their international counterparts as well. A combination of security, counter-narcotics forces, law enforcement and judicial officials from over 80 nations are included in the program.
Part of the training session in this initiative is geared towards tackling rising terrorism and human trafficking. The rest focuses on border threats, narcotics, money laundering and cyber warfare.
The rise of global terrorism has made such partnerships and diplomacy imperative. International agencies can train together, discuss best practices, share information and work towards our shared goal of making the world a safer place.
