Durant Police offer active shooter training

DURANT, Okla. (KXII) -An active shooter attack is a nightmare that too often becomes real across America.

But Durant police want people to be prepared.

Last year, the FBI reported that there were more than 300 casualties caused by active shooters.

“We teach anything from schools to churches to local businesses,” said Sgt. Brandon Mitchell.

For over a decade, Mitchell instructed ‘Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events’ or CRASE.

“The way the world’s going on right now, CRASE is something that gives citizens some education material on what to do if they’re involved in that kind of situation,” Mitchel said.

Mitchell breaks down what would happen if they found themselves in an active shooter attack, “what to expect from law enforcement, what they can do, what kind of ways to prevent themselves from being a victim.”

The biggest mistake, people make?

“A lot of people think if you play dead, that you’re going to be safe and that’s not the case,” Mitchell added.

Instead, the class teaches the run, hide, and fight method.

“First, if you can get out of the area, run away, get somewhere safe,” Mitchell said, “If you can’t, then shelter in place, barricade yourself in a room, push stuff in front of doors, lock yourself, shut the lights off and the last resort is to fight, there might be a chance or a scenario where you have to fight for your life.”

He says, active shooters most commonly choose places like businesses, outdoor events, and schools.

So, it’s important to stay vigilant.

“We have a lot of positive feedback, the class itself shows some videos of some scenarios, some actual live events that have taken place, and everybody that comes out of this says it’s great training and they wish they had had it a long time ago,” said Mitchell.

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