Direct to Threat: MPs Practice Active Shooter Drills

 

Story by Spc. Hayden Hallma, 20th Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea--- The images of people running out of classrooms and movie theaters have plagued the United States in recent decades. Time after time the news shows the smiling faces of the people who were slain in these mass shootings. The Military Police are the security force that protects military personnel and facilities from these types of incidents.

Military Police from the 977th Military Police Company from Fort Riley, Kansas, on rotation supporting the 2nd Infantry Division, conducted Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training, July 28, at the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex.

“We [practiced] making entry into rooms, systematically clearing rooms, direct to threat, and responding to an active shooter call,” said Sgt. 1st Class Lori Singer-Bare, a platoon sergeant with the 977th MP Co. “The purpose of this training is to learn how to shoot, move, and communicate to neutralize and stop the threat with as much force as necessary.”

MPs trained in teams of two to simulate being the first patrol to reach the scene of a shooting. They start the exercise moving through corridors, methodically clearing rooms, and checking on simulated wounded dummies. They practiced restraining assailants and clearing the assailants’ weapons. The team would continue going through these motions until they heard gunfire. Once the gunfire is heard, the pair would rush directly to the sound of the shots to subdue the threat.

Singer-Bare explained that ALERRT is the direct result of the 1999 Columbine shootings and the training has continuously evolved over the past 20 years to what they are training today.

One of the more recent adaptions to ALERRT is once gunfire is heard, while in the building, the law enforcement team would break from systematically clearing room-to-room and movie directly to the threat instead of continuing an in-depth room clearing.

“Once they find a sign or get an overarching stimulus that there is an active shooter,” said 2Lt. Robert Holland, a platoon leader with the 977th MP Company, “they go direct to the threat to neutralize it as quickly as possible.”

The desire to cut the amount of time it took to subdue the shooter was one of the main reasons that contributed to the change in room clearing techniques.

“If we go room-to-room and clear every closet when we hear shooting, the threat is out there longer,” said Holland. “One of the biggest things we learned here is that time saves lives.”

Since time is of the essence, instead of systematically clearing each room, MPs give a cursory glance in the rooms on the way to the shooter as a precaution, this is known as ‘dirty clearing.’

“I personally really like this training,” said Pfc. Adrian Chavez, an MP with the 977th MP Company. “It prepares us for when we are working the road so we know what to do and to not be shaking nervous if we ever get the call to go into a building.”

The 977th MP Company is on a 9-month rotation to the Republic of Korea to train on various law enforcement techniques and to assist 2nd ID to stand ready to fight tonight.

“Our Soldiers are doing exceptionally well, being able to conduct this as a unit in South Korea is phenomenal law enforcement training,” said Holland.