UHCL Police Department offers free safety courses for active shooter situations
The UHCL Police Department has brought back its C.R.A.S.E courses to campus this fall, with three upcoming events still remaining. C.R.A.S.E stands for Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events and is a series of classes that aim to teach students, faculty and staff how to react in case an active shooter situation may arise around them.
“Being prepared mentally is just as important as being prepared physically,” said UHCL Interim Police Chief Russell Miller.
The UHCL Police Department will take attendees step by step through an active shooter scenario and teach them the proper steps to take in order to stay safe. A national program, C.R.A.S.E, was designed and built on the Avoid, Deny, Defend strategy and created by Texas State University’s program, ALERRT (The Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training).
In 2004, in response to the incline of mass shootings, ALERRT began as a partnership between Texas State University, the San Marcos, Texas, Police Department and the Hay’s, Texas Sheriff’s Office as an active shooter training tool for first responders. Today it has been named the National Standard in Active Shooter Response Training by the FBI.
“Over the years we’ve seen response times shorten and the capabilities of law enforcement increase,” said John Curnett, assistant director of ALERRT at Texas State University. “As a result of increased public awareness, many citizens have asked what individuals can do to protect themselves and reduce the dangers faced during one of these events.”
Each UHCL law enforcement agent participating in the C.R.A.S.E courses are annually certified to teach the strategies for surviving active shooter events. This certification provides the officers the authority to deliver efficient tactics to communities following the Avoid, Deny, Defend method, states the ALERRT foundation webpage.
This year alone, there have been nearly 300 mass shootings in America, with 22 of them happening on school campuses.
“Our goal is to educate and inform the UHCL community on the subject,” Miller said. “There are several key ideals that, if embraced, will help in the event a catastrophic event occurs.”
Miller believes the C.R.A.S.E course is a powerful tool for students to utilize in today’s world. The more students are exposed to the C.R.A.S.E ideals, the more likely they are to respond effectively if ever in the high-stress situation of an active shooter.
“An active shooter class is way too scary for me,” said Brandon Galvan, communication major. “It’s way too melancholy for me to take the time to attend and go through it.”
Laila Basyouni, chemistry major, on the other hand, thinks that learning these survival tactics could actually really help her in an active shooter situation.
“Sadly this has become a common situation in today’s society,” Basyouni said. “When something like that happens, you don’t really know how to react, and one wrong move could cost you your life. Being taught the steps to take could be very useful.”
The UHCL Police Department will be hosting multiple dates for the same class so that students can adjust their schedules in order to participate. The four events began Sept. 19, but three courses still remain: Oct. 15 from 1-3 p.m, Pearland room 111; Oct. 21 from 1- 3 p.m, Bayou Building room 2236; and the last one taking place Nov. 18 from 4- 6 p.m, Delta Building room 240.
The course is free for students, faculty and the public to attend, and the UHCL Police Department urges as many people to get involved as possible. Visit uhcl.edu/police/active-shooter for more information.
