UHCL PD conducts C.R.A.S.E. courses through November
UHCL is providing a training course, Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE), free to employees and students. The UHCL Police Department (UHCL PD) is hosting the course weekly throughout the month of October until the end of November.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defines an active shooter as an individual who kills or attempts to kill victims, in no particular pattern or method, at a confined and populated area. A DHS pamphlet explains that an individual needs to prepare both mentally and physically in order to deal with this type of dangerous situation.
UHCL PD provides a video on the UHCL website, courtesy of Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center, explaining actions to take during an active shooting. The three steps are: avoid, deny and defend.
An individual should avoid the attacker if possible and deny the attacker access to the area. If the first two steps are not possible, individuals have the right to defend themselves.
Once individuals know that they are safe from harm, they should contact the police. The video stresses that people who find themselves in an active shooter situation deserve the right to survive.
“One of the ideas we stress while teaching this course is, ‘What you do matters,’” said Bobby Bumgarner, community outreach officer with the UHCL Police department. “The Police
Department’s role is to respond as quickly as possible and end the attack. In your role, we ask that you do everything possible to stay safe until we have arrived. We teach this course to provide you with the information you need to give yourself the best chance of survival.”
UHCL placed ninth on the list for 2019 Safest College Campuses in Texas, which was produced by Niche.com. Bumgarner wants to assure the UHCL community that their safety is of great importance and each police officer in the police department is required to take ALERRT Active Shooter Level 1 training.
The UHCL campus has the ability to electronically lock down every building if needed and send out emergency notifications in real time. The goal of UHCL PD is to stop the attacker as quickly as possible and then aid any injured individuals. Officers patrol the campus daily and are trained to quickly identify any suspicious activity to help prevent the possibility of an active shooting.
FBI.gov, states there were 250 active shooting incidents between 2001-2017 in America. During these incidents, 799 people were killed and 1,418 wounded. A graph on the FBI website illustrates that in 2001 only one active shooting incident had occurred but jumped to 30 incidents in the year 2017. FBI.gov also states that civilians usually face life and death decisions before law enforcement arrives because an active shooting can last only minutes.
In 2017, Cable News Network (CNN) released an article that provides information about mass shootings in America. CNN technically defines a shooting as a ‘mass shooting’ if more than four people are killed at the same time and location.
A graph provided by CNN explains what locations in public have a greater risk of death. It lists different locations where shootings occur and how 70 percent of shootings occur either at a school or business.
Gun Violence Archive updates the FBI stats to include 2018. As of Oct. 14, there has currently been 284 mass shootings in America. A detailed list on their website specifies that 14 of these mass shootings have occurred in Texas.
One of the most recent shootings on the list for 2018 is the Santa Fe High School shooting, with 10 killed and an additional 13 wounded. This shooting occurred less than 30 minutes away from UHCL campus.
Individuals like Erica Solis, social work major and leader of the #Enough rally, consider active shooter training beneficial to educating individuals on how to take action and prepare for the unfortunate possibility of an active shooting.
“I believe active-shooting training courses can benefit students and employees because it could help reduce some of the chaos that might take place in an active shooter scenario,” Solis said. “Training allows students and employees to regain their sense of power in a situation that might otherwise aim to take it away.”
The UHCL PD states on their webpage that their goal is keeping a safe environment for students and employees. UHCL PD is part of the “If You See Something, Say Something®” campaign and people can anonymously report any concerns about a student’s behavior.
The police department encourages individuals to place UHCL PD’s direct phone number in their cell phone because it will be the quickest way to inform authorities on campus if they find themselves in active shooting crisis. The direct number for the UHCL Police Department is 281-283-2222. Individuals with questions regarding active shooting training or related topics are encouraged to email policechief@uhcl.edu.
