Police conduct ‘active assailant training’ at Las Vegas school

Officers from Metro and the Clark County School District Police Department gathered at O’Roarke Elementary School on Thursday to conduct a joint training exercise about how to respond to an active shooter.

“We’re doing this training to be as realistic as possible, so God forbid if something like this does befall upon our valley, our officers will not hesitate, they will not flinch,” Metro Capt. Reggie Rader said.

More than 50 volunteers, including students with the department’s Explorer program, acted as teachers and students during the training simulation.

“It is the responsibility of law enforcement to have an aggressive response to stop perpetrators and save lives,” Metro Deputy Chief Jamie Prosser said.

Members of the news media were not allowed to view the training and were prohibited from speaking to students or volunteers participating in the training.

What was the training?

In the past, the Police Department has emphasized using de-escalation techniques and “slowing the momentum” to prioritize the safety of victims and suspects, according to Prosser.

In those occurrences, responding officers would contain the event and open communication with the suspect to find a peaceful resolution.

But Prosser said that scenario was not the one in play for Thursday’s simulation. In contrast, the active assailant training teaches officers tactics they can use to seek out a threat.

The training would include simulated gunfire and explosions, according to Rader.

“The officers as soon as they get there, will not wait. They will go in, not hesitate, find the suspect and do whatever they need to do to stop the killing inside of that school,” he said.

Despite nearly 400 officers responding to the shooting in Uvalde, it took more than an hour to confront and kill the shooter.

The police response to the May shooting is being investigated by the Department of Justice, which is set to produce a public report about its findings.

“It’s training events like today that make sure any responding officer has the same knowledge and tactics so we can work together to effectively deal with an active assailant,” Prosser said.

Taking training into their hands

Immediately following the shooting in Uvalde, the Clark County School District, the fifth-largest in the country, said it was continuing to review security on its campuses.

The district also has implemented new safety measures, like an instant alert system that can trigger campuswide emergency lockdowns, in response to its own spate of violence last year.

School police Lt. Bryan Zink also said Thursday that district employees, from principals to custodians, receive training annually so they know their role in a shooting.

All school district employees are required to complete training videos yearly “to ensure the safety and welfare of students and staff,” the district said in a statement Thursday to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Topics covered include a school-based emergency operations plan with one part focused on “overarching procedures” and another on an “active assailant,” the district said. “These are protected by state law as confidential.”

Also, each school does 10 emergency drills each school year, as required under state law, according to the statement.

That includes lockdown, fire and earthquake drills.

But Vicki Kreidel, president of the National Education Association of Southern Nevada, which represents a group of about 400 teachers, said no active shooter training has been offered during her time in the district.

There are lockdown practices at schools, she said, but nothing to prepare for more specific scenarios.

As a result, some Clark County School District educators are taking matters into their own hands about how to respond in an active shooter situation. The union held a two-hour virtual active shooter training Monday with 20 to 30 educators.

Kreidel said the training covered topics like how to identify troubled students, what classroom items could be used to defend oneself, and other actions to consider during a school shooting, such as silencing cellphones.

It’s difficult to think about an active shooter situation happening, so a lot of people avoid the topic, Kreidel said, but a little preparation could go a long way.

She said union members will be surveyed in the coming weeks to see if there is interest in additional training. If there is, “we will figure out a way to make it happen,” she said.

Dads in Schools, a new program that will see fathers and other volunteers from the school community present during shifts on campuses to potentially deter fights, also conducted its own active shooter training this week, according to an email sent to volunteers on Monday.

Zink said Thursday that school police aren’t involved in outside trainings. Different groups are free to conduct training for their members or volunteers as they see fit, but trainings shouldn’t conflict with safety recommendations that the district is putting out.

“We just don’t want to see some crazy scenario where they do something that’s going to jeopardize the safety of other people,” he said.

John Vellardita, executive director of the Clark County Education Association, which represents more than 18,000 licensed professionals, including teachers, said his union won’t be providing any training related to active shooters, calling it the responsibility of the school district and public safety agencies.

“We are not qualified to provide that type of training, nor is anybody else qualified, and it would be reckless and irresponsible for us to think for one moment we could provide that kind of training,” he said.

Contact Lorraine Longhi at 702-387-5298 or llonghi@reviewjournal.com. Follow her @lolonghi on Twitter. Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.