MONROE — In what has become an unfortunate sign of the times, local law enforcement officials are once again offering a training class to help the public know what to do in the event of an active shooter or mass shooter incident in Green County.
The Green County Sheriff’s Office is once again offering a national curriculum known as CRASE (Citizen Response to Active Shooter Events) training to the community, officials announced this week.
The free session is set for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 15 in the Government Services Building, lower level.
“In this training, participants will learn how to prepare for and respond to being trapped inside a building during an active shooter event,” sheriff Jeff Skatrud said, in a social media post touting the training. “They will also learn steps that can be taken to assist law enforcement and to help limit casualties in such an event….”
According to Chief Deputy Cody D. Kanable, who is helping spearhead the training effort for the department, the class is not unlike the type of training that’s presented regularly to local law enforcement — but with some key differences.
“There is definitely a crossover there (between the two types of training),” Kanable said. “But our focus is different than a citizen’s.”
The training was developed by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training organization (ALERRT) made up of representatives from the Texas State University, the San Marcos Police Department, and the Hays County Sheriff’s Office. The group came into existence as a direct result of the Columbine High School tragedy in 1999. This incident demonstrated a need for increased training for first responders and civilians alike in active shooter response.
Since it began in 2002, the ALERRT organization has become a national leader in civilian response to active shooter events training, according to officials. In 2013 the FBI adopted their model and began providing “train the trainer” courses nationwide for law enforcement personnel.
Kanable said the citizen version of the program here also is tailored for a community such as Green County that is largely rural and likely would not have as much of a huge law enforcement response to an active shooter situation.
The program, officials say, is designed around the simple acronym ADD which stands for the Avoid, Deny, and Defend strategy. It does not, however, get into the legal and other obligations that come with being a concealed carry holder confronting a potential threat. From 2000 to 2021, fewer than 3% of 433 active attacks in the U.S. ended with a civilian firing back, according to the ALERRT group.
In fact, Kanable and others say that the CRASE training is not a replacement for an in-depth concealed-carry type class in which gun owners would be trained to respond to an impromptu threat.
“We don’t want someone in place who is taking action and being mistaken for the perpetrator,” by law enforcement, he said.
This is the third time and not the last that the training will be offered. Previous sessions have trained as many as 30 citizens at a time to cope with an active shooter threat. Those with questions are urged to contact, Sgt. Aaron King at (608) 328-9400/ or via email at kinga@
greensheriff.com.
Pre-registration is not required for the class, which in the past has drawn interest from employers, government agencies, educators and others.