Bridgewater State Police Participate In Active Shooter Training
BRIDGEWATER (CBS) -- Although it's not the real thing, law enforcement officers and first responders participated in some tense training called ALERT, or advanced law enforcement rapid response training, at the Bridgewater State University campus.
"The tactics and techniques we use can be used on college campuses, in high schools and malls or any enclosed space," says ALERT instructor Kevin Nicholos.
On Friday, campus police teamed up with the FBI, and ALERT instructors walked through scenarios of active threat training.
Michael Froio, captain of Bridgewater State University Police, says "It's excellent training, it's real and live. We learn to respond to the scene quickly and save as many lives as we can."
Over the past 10 years, training techniques and practices have changed. They are now focusing on smaller response teams, and they are also teaching students, faculty and staff to take direct responsibility for their safety and security.
"We can't do everything," says Nicholos. "You need to be aware of your situation, need to have a plan in place before things go bad if a situation were to happen to you."
The two-day, 16-hour training sessions' primary focus is to train front-line police officers how to respond to an active shooter or a hostage takeover.
"The idea is we need to get everyone on the same page," Nicholos says.
