Filling in the Gaps: How ALERRT Training Helps Crisis Response Times for Employees and First Responders
According to the Department of Homeland Security, an active shooter is “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area. In most cases, active shooters use firearms and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims.” These deadly events happen about 18 times per year in the Unites States. Active shootings are distinct from mass shootings, which are defined as incidents where four or more people are shot.
After the shooting at Columbine High School, The Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University was created to instruct police officers in active-shooter response. ALERRT at Texas State has been named the national standard in active shooter response by the FBI, and, since 2002, many large metro agencies have adopted the ALERRT standard for their law enforcement training.