Area law enforcement, risk management specialists train for violent intruder events

A violent intruder has entered your workplace, school or church, and help is on the way.
What can be done to survive in the time between the aggressor is noticed and the police arrive?
Plenty.
Gary Kamp, a national trainer with the ALICE Institute, said, “Lock and barricade the doors, even if the door opens out. It will slow the intruder down.
“Not one locked door was breached at Columbine High School. That was too much trouble, and the shooters moved on. Use belts, extension cords, computer cables and purse straps to keep the door closed. Make door stops. Be creative. Use a wallet as a door stop. If you are saved by your wallet, call me and I’ll buy you a new wallet.”
Kamp lead a two-day ALICE instructor training at LSUE Monday and Tuesday. Seventeen individuals including officers from the Eunice, Opelousas and Jennings police departments as well as the St. Landry and Acadia parish sheriff’s offices participated in the training event. Four civilians also took part in the program. The training event was hosted by the Eunice Police Department.
The course is designed to teach and certify instructors in proactive survival strategies for violent intruder or active shooter incidents. The instructors are now able to train others at law enforcement departments, schools, universities, hospitals, businesses and any other places of workshop. The training provides individuals with survival enhancing options for the time between the start of a violent situation and the time when law enforcement officers arrive at the scene.
ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. During the training event, participants learned about case studies, policy and procedures review, infrastructure design, proactive uses of technology, community resource assistance, mass evacuations, trauma first aid, practical scenario training and lesson preparation.
“Law enforcement will not be there in time to (completely) stop a shooter,” Kamp said. “The people there will have to stop the shooter. As a society, we were not training people.
“The thing that drew me to this program is that we have an obligation as law enforcement officers and community members to make sure the good guys win, not just the bad guys, and to make sure people survive.”
The retired law enforcement officer and SWAT team member has worked for the ALICE Institute for two years, and he is one of the company’s three national trainers. Kamp said he does one or two trainings a week, and he sees an even mix of police, educators and private business personnel in the training events.
The trainer said the ALICE program was developed by a teacher and a law enforcement officer who happened to be married.
“We look at the benefits of lockdown and build on that,” Kamp said. “We enhance lockdown and get better at lockdown.”
He continued, “In 15 years of inadequate polices, what did we learn — Columbine, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook? What can we do to survive before the cops arrive? If an aggressor can’t easily get into room, they will likely move on.
“This is about having options and the options are based on surveys.”
Kamp started the training event with a breakdown of the ALICE steps.
The first step of ALICE is an alert, whether it is an announcement that an aggressor is at the location, gunfire, screaming, loud noises or even a phone call or emergency notification.
“Do not make a phone call (to 911 or authorities) until you are in a safe place,” Kamp said. “Dispatch will tell you to calm down if you are panicking. You may see the aggressor.”
Kamp showed the group a video of an aggressor at a hospital reception window. The man was armed, and in order to alert others in the hospital of the situation, a “Code Silver” in the lobby was announced over the hospital’s announcement system. Two police officers were at the hospital at the time of the event, and they were able to stop the aggressor without him knowing they were at the facility.
“You do not want people to panic,” Kamp said. “If they know the cops are coming, some aggressors will shoot themselves.”
Kamp and the training participants conducted practical scenario situations in an unoccupied building on campus. In the first scenario, participants were only allowed to hide themselves in the classrooms, and in the second scenario, participants were allowed to barricade the doors of the classrooms. During the third scenario, participants were allowed to physically but safely subdue the aggressor.
Lt. Varden Guillory with the Eunice Police Department said, “The class was very interesting and informative. Attendees are now certified to provide active shooter awareness to fellow officers and civilians.
“We want to share this information with interested citizens, church members, as well as business owners. It’s my goal to educate people on how to reduce the number of casualties and survive an active shooter event.”
Guillory also thanked LSUE for allowing the event to be held at the campus.