Active Shooter Response Training Coming To Gresham

GRESHAM, OR — What would you do in an active shooter situation? If you don't know, the Gresham Police Department has something for you.

In light of mass public shootings occurring at random in cities across the country, law enforcement officials in Gresham would like to ensure the community is prepared to prevent and react to an active shooter scenario in the city.

"This training is for civilians to learn appropriate ways to respond to an active shooter event, whether that occurs in a church, school, business, or other public setting," Gresham police Training Division Sgt. Ted VanBeek told Patch in an email. "We will use several case studies to aid in the instruction, therefore we recommend the audience be limited to older teens and adults due to the somewhat graphic nature of the discussion."

With public shootings an unfortunate part of East County's history, from the Clackamas Town Center shooting in 2012 to the Reynolds High School shooting in 2014, the Gresham Police Department wants to ensure they've provided the community with information that could help them better respond should they ever be caught in an unthinkable situation, VanBeek said.

"It is difficult to make complicated decisions during high stress situations, but it can be made much easier if a person has thought through a similar scenario in advance," he explained. "This mental training is highly effective and is something first responders do routinely, so they are ready to act in an emergency.

GPD Officer Isaac Hibbs will provide the training from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23, at Grace Community Church, 800 S.E. Hogan Rd.

The training is free and open to anyone who wishes to attend. No registration is required.

Police officials recommend the training to all business owners, school officials, and organizations throughout the community.

"One of the goals of the police department is to enhance the safety of our citizens," VanBeek said. "By training our citizens how to respond to an active shooter encounter we hope to keep them safe and give us the time we need to respond to such an event."

This post has been updated to include comments from Gresham Police Department Training Division Sgt. Ted VanBeek.

Image via Gresham Police Department