On Thursday, Mar. 1, the Texas Department of Public Safety trained over 100 officers and civilians on the proper response to active shooters.

The CRASE course is designed and built on the Avoid, Deny, Defend (ADD) strategy implemented by ALERRT in 2004, which provides strategies, guidance, and a proven plan for surviving an active shooter event.

Topics covered in the four-hour course included an overview of past active shooter events, effective options for civilian response, medial issues that might arise, and possible shooting drills.

One case study discussed in the course refers to the past survival attempts by shooting survivors and victims. In many cases those in harm’s way either hid under desks or played dead to avoid being shot, something the course advises against as a primary strategy. Instructors are quick to explain that like the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, the rooms with people who played dead often had higher fatality rates than rooms where people attempted to escape.

The CRASE training is in response to many requests by schools, businesses and community members to educate them on active shooter events. Once the selected civilians and officers have completed the course with TxDPS, they will be free to give training to their own communities.

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