It is a sad and harsh reality. Law enforcement officers always must be prepared for the possibility of intruders and mass casualties any time and in any place — including, especially, in places where the smallest and most innocent victims gather — in our schools.

That’s why law enforcement training like the one held last week in the Mahoning Valley is so critically important.

Some 15 officers and other trainers representing departments in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties gathered Jan. 25 for a hands-on training session known as “Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training,” or ALERRT. The session took place inside the closed Poland Union Elementary School.

One of the officers in attendance from the Austintown Police Department was clear in describing the goal of the training: “It’s to stop the killing, stop the dying,” said Detective Rob Whited, one of the facilitators and trainers.

Overall, we were pleased to see officers in attendance representing Poland, Struthers, Vienna, Liberty, Austintown, St. Clair Township and Warren police departments. Presenting the session was the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force.

The training came on the heels of two recent mass shootings in California, one each in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay, that left a total of 18 dead.

In fact, in the first few weeks of 2023, at least 69 people have been killed in mass shootings across our nation, including those two shootings within days of each other in California.

During the local training, covered by correspondent Sean Barron, officers wore masks and other tactical gear, reacting to a variety of scenarios. These simulated active-shooter situations took place in the hallway and inside classrooms.

They were instructed to respond to often loud, echo-like commands that entailed arresting the “bad guy” and ending the threat, tending to an injured person, taking cover and checking certain areas. In one scenario, four trainees carried an “injured” person out of the building to safety.

They also were “armed” with rubber training guns equipped with plastic projectiles that simulated 9 mm bullets and, in part, contained dish detergent that left a mark where they struck. That aspect of the training was significant because it pointed to the importance of an officer — even if injured and able — continuing to try to stop the shooter, Whited noted.

He and the other trainers declined, however, to divulge specific tactics.

And that’s perfectly fine with us, so long as the officers are well trained and prepared.

Swift response with actions that become routine thanks to muscle memory created from repeated training and rehearsal is the best way to save lives when an intruder is able to gain entrance to school buildings or other public gathering locations.

We know we need our officers to be trained, ready and willing.

Likewise, our schoolteachers, administrators and, yes, even the school children, also must be trained and prepared.

Local school districts understand the importance of that and, along with the usual fire drills and tornado drills, nowadays lockdown drills also are a harsh reality in many schools. Frankly, they should take place in every school building with great regularity, so long as they are handled in a way that does not traumatize the children and only after giving the students and parents advance warning. Additionally, many districts also hold roundtable gatherings with law enforcement.

Good. Partnerships between schools and law enforcement are important.

And that’s exactly what these types of trainings — no matter how difficult it might be to stomach — are critically important.

editorial@vindy.com