Active shooter training held at Bishop England, Berkeley High

The City of Charleston Police Department called Bishop England High School home last week for a three-day active shooter training session for its new cadets. 

 

The Berkeley County School District also conducted active shooter training for its School Resource Officers last week at Berkeley High School.

 

“We do this every recruit class,” Charleston Sgt. Chris Stinson said. “It depends how many classes there are as to how often we do this. This is in addition to regular active shooter training that we do department wide.”

 

The training at Bishop England took place July 29-31. BEHS Principal Mary Anne Tucker described the training exercise as “beneficial to us in that they will have a thorough understanding of our campus should we ever have an emergency situation that requires their intervention.”

 

BENEFITS TO ACTIVE SHOOTING DRILLS 

 

According to Stinson, this training is standard practice for new cadets and has been held at many schools throughout the region for years. 

 

Active shooter training not only helps to raise awareness, but also provides a set of skills the cadets and SROs need to be able to respond in critical situations. 

 

“The times we live in today, we all need to be prepared to respond, and be set to do what we need to do,” Stinson said.

 

HOW SCHOOL OFFICERS ARE INVOLVED 

 

According to Monica Kreber, strategic engagement coordinator for Berkeley County School District, “The SROs play the role of mentor, counselor and friend to students and staff in the schools, on top of being the first line of defense for the schools.”

 

BCSD SRO duties include, providing visible, active law enforcement on school grounds, taking law enforcement action as required and necessary against intruders and unwanted guests who may appear at school functions, assisting school administrators in developing plans and strategies to prevent or minimize dangerous situations at school, making connections and establishing a rapport with faculty and students , and assisting traffic control duties as needed. 

 

Berkeley County School District has 50 school resource officers, plus 10 SRO supervisors. BCSD partners with five law enforcement agencies to provide SROs in county public schools – Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office as well as the municipalities of Charleston, Moncks Corner, Hanahan, and Goose Creek.

 

HOW TO KEEP SAFE IN ACTIVE SHOOTER SITUATIONS 

 

There are three active shooter tactics to learn to keep yourself and others safe: Run, Hide, Fight. Learning these principles may help prepare and empower you to put them into practice, and survive, should an active shooter situation arise. 

 

The “Run, Hide, Fight” protocol advises individuals to evacuate, if possible, hide silently and securely if escape is not feasible, and as a last resort, fight to disrupt or incapacitate the shooter.

 

Stinson said that citizens can receive personalized active shooter instruction at their business or organizations by submitting a request through the city website charleston-sc.gov.