“After recent events close to home, the reality that an active killer can happen here and can affect anyone at any time, has become a harsh reality to many who, before, never gave it a second thought,” said Maj. Chris Clark of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. “Law enforcement officers train regularly on how to respond to mitigate these types of threats, but the real first responders to an active killer event are the people involved.”
Clark State and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office want to ensure the public is prepared and will offer a modular, comprehensive, active killer survival presentation to the citizens of Clark County.
“This will be an unarmed program to educate people on how to utilize available surroundings to greatly increase chances of survival,” said Clark. “We will discuss what motivates individuals to carry out these acts, the mental health issues that surround them, being situationally aware of your surroundings and how to make the best decisions to survive and escape the danger.”
Clark emphasized that this program is not recommended for younger audiences as some of the information contains mature content. There will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions directly to the instructors and audience input will be welcomed.
Matt Franz, vice president, information technology & emergency management for Clark State said the college has a long history of focusing on the safety and security of those on campus and in the community; and a long-standing partnership with the law enforcement agencies in the region.
“In response to the recent tragedies in Dayton and El Paso, we wanted to work with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office to provide community members with an opportunity to work closely with the highly trained sheriff’s deputies on active shooter incidents,” said Franz. “Often active shooter events happen very quickly, and the first responders to the scene are most likely to be bystanders and community members. The goal of this partnership and training is to share current techniques and information about what to do should you ever be in an active shooter situation.”
Franz said Clark State is excited to work with the sheriff’s office to share this important information with the community.
“We want to be a good partner in bringing together the community in an accessible forum to hear from our local law enforcement experts,” Franz said.
Active shooter training sessions in Clark County
Clark State Performing Arts Center, 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 5
John Legend Theater, Springfield Center of Innovation, The Dome, 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 7
Clark State Performing Arts Center, 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 12
Tecumseh High School, 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 21
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