VIDEO: Cops Run Active Shooter Response Drills in Mahopac

About two dozen members of the Carmel and Kent police departments participated in active shooter response training drills at Austin Road Elementary School—which was empty because of winter recess—in Mahopac Monday and Tuesday.

Carmel officials said the department hosts these types of exercises about once every two years. The goal is to provide officers with the skills necessary to respond to a situation involving "an active killer" in a school, workplace or any other large venue; quickly take control and "stop the deadly behavior," said Ernie Iarussi, the Carmel officer organizing the drill.

Cops rotated through roles—officer, shooter, victim—during the practice. It involved dialogue and simunition, a type of ammunition designed for training purposes.