Houston Crime Stoppers Offers Free Active Shooter Training for Schools and the Community
Houston Crime Stoppers Offers Free Active Shooter Training for Schools and the Community
Crime Stoppers of Houston, in partnership with JetBlue, introduced active shooter training to its staff and local law enforcement. FOX 26’s Natalie Hee discusses how trainings should help in the wake of a deadly elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
HOUSTON – In the wake of the deadly Uvalde massacre, Gov. Greg Abbott asked state officials to conduct “unannounced intrusion audits” in school districts.
It comes as organizations across the country revisit active shooter training to better prepare for emergencies.
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Random, unannounced inspections will now be the norm in Texas school districts after Governor Greg Abbott asked school safety officials to conduct in-person audits this week. The goal is to identify which schools have weak access points for intruders.
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The order comes a week after 19 children and two teachers were killed at a primary school in Uvalde. Governor Abbott and other elected officials have faced increasing public pressure to do more to keep children safe at school.
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On Thursday, Crime Stoppers of Houston, in partnership with JetBlue, introduced active shooter training to its staff and local law enforcement; the information came from mass shooting survivors like Kristina Anderson of Virginia Tech.
“The psychology behind an active fire event is that if you never thought in your brain about what you would do, those pathways of action aren’t created in your brain, and therefore you would likely freeze up,” said Sydney Zuiker, the director. from the Safe Community Institute to Crime Stoppers of Houston. “The analogy of running, hiding, fighting; they’re talking about being aware of at least two exits everywhere you go.
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There are still several unanswered questions and more information is being revealed about how officers responded to the deadly mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
“My mother was a substitute teacher for years and years,” said Nichole Christoph, assistant director of Crime Stoppers of Houston. “She called me like every day” there is another threat at school. What should I do ? And I was like, “Mom, you run first.” If you can’t run, you hide. And if you can’t hide, then you’re fighting for your life.
Experts suggest familiarizing yourself with all outing locations in a public place and acknowledging the old adage that repetition and practice makes perfect.
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“As a student at Sandy Hook, he and his family had gone through some of the things they needed to do, and he knew the second this intruder had to reload his gun, he had seconds to get away,” Zuiker said. “He ended up jumping out the window and going to a neighbor’s house to call his mother.”
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The active shooter training presentation lasts approximately 45 minutes and is offered free of charge to communities and schools. Anyone interested in booking this presentation can make a request by clicking here.
