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.
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