El Paso law enforcement agencies receive active shooter situational training
EL PASO, Texas -- An active shooter training exercise was organized by FBI El Paso, the El Paso Police, and the Texas Department of Public Safety at the Armed Forces Reserve Center to help law enforcement at the federal, state, and local level to be better prepared for an active shooting situation.
“Active Shooter incidents are a reality, and no community is immune from it happening as the community of El Paso knows,” said FBI El Paso Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey R. Downey. “This exercise gives all of El Paso first responders, government leaders, and emergency organizations another opportunity to work together to refine our response to potential incidents in the region."
Facilitated by members of the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group, Crisis Management Unit based in Washington, D.C., the exercise stressed the importance of making critical decisions in the first minutes, hours, and days after an active shooting event.
Several specific issues relative to such a situation were discussed, including coordinating large-scale law enforcement response, communicating efficiently with the public as well as keeping them safe, establishing an area for families to reunite with loved ones involved in the incident, and effective communication among all response agencies.
