FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF News ) – The Fort Worth Police Department is teaching educators across North Texas how to respond in the event of an active shooter.
Sergeant Christopher Leary is the supervisor of the Reality Based Training Unit and said most teachers aren’t trained on how to respond and may encourage students to hide. This free class will teach them to shift their thinking to “avoid, deny and defend.”
“Get away as far as you can. Hopefully, there’s a second way out. Most classrooms, its one way and one way out but hopefully you can barricade a door or lock a door or do something to deny them access,” he said.
Sergeant Leary said requests for the course, which is open to all civilians, have grown rapidly in the wake of the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, when a lone gunman killed nineteen children and two teachers on May 24.
“We’re receiving calls from medical facilities, child care facilities, you name it they’re calling. A lot of people are interested,” he said.
The lead instructor spearheading the course is retired Sergeant Eddie Trinidad.
Click here for more information about the program.
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