11/16/2009 Officers trained on response to shooting
B>Scot Ely (left) and Luke Fleener show equipment used in Rapid Response Training held at Templeton last week. The program shows sheriff’s deputies and police officers how to handle situations with active shooters. — Photo by Jeff Storjohann
TEMPLETON - Carroll-area law enforcement agencies prepared for the unthinkable last week.
In 16 hours of training over two days, sheriff's deputies and police officers practiced searching and eliminating an active shooter.
Guns that fire nonlethal projectiles made the simulation seem as real as possible for the good guys and the bad.
About 20 officers from west-central Iowa took Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 9-10, at the former Sacred Heart School in Templeton, including members of the Carroll County Sheriff's Office and Carroll Police Department.
All instruction and equipment were provided by the Homeland Security Training Center at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, which is funded by congressional appropriations arranged by U.S. Rep. Tom Latham.
"It's geared at the patrol officer on the street, showing them the proper response to deal with an active-shooter situation, wherever that may take place," said instructor Luke Fleener, a detective sergeant for the Webster County Sheriff's Office.
Officers mostly practiced methods to safely sweep and clear a building containing a suspected gunman, freeing the innocent and eliminating the threat.
Various exercises were followed by intensive critiques.
"The training is based around the officers' ultimate goal, which is to save as many lives as possible," Fleener explained. "They also need to learn how to eliminate the threat safely so they survive."
"An active-shooter situation is dynamic," added instructor Scot Ely, a sergeant with the Webster City Police Department. "You never know where a situation like this is going to happen. It could be a school, a business or a hospital. We give officers the tools so they can adjust to whatever situation is presented to them and successfully come out ahead."
ALERRT is effective because participants receive force-on-force training, meaning officers and suspects shoot at each other.
They use Simunition FX guns, which feel and operate like real guns but fire a small projectile of colored soap.
"They're actual rounds with a small primer, and they do hurt. They'll leave a mark," said Fleener, noting that officers wear protective vests and helmets during the drills. "It's as close as you can get to a real shooting.
"This training generates a reaction from your body. The adrenaline gets going. We help the officer fight through the adrenaline, lower his excitement level, so he can control himself to handle the situation without getting wrapped up or lost."
The other benefit for local law enforcement agencies is the training is provided at no cost other than officer time.
The ICCC Homeland Security Training Center is the only agency in the Midwest to provide ALERRT. Fleener and Ely have brought the program to more than 450 officers across Iowa this year.
"The training is an eye-opener for the local officers," said Fleener. "We put them under a little bit of stress, and it can feel like it's a life-or-death situation. We change the mindset of 'Well, a shooting will never happen here because this is a small town.' We show them how it can happen."
