MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Department of Homeland Security has released a video that instructs people on what to do in the event of a shooting like the one at an elementary school in Connecticut.
Gov. Robert Bentley asked Alabama Homeland Security officials to develop a strategic plan for dealing with such incidents after a gunman killed 20 students and six adults Dec. 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. The shooter also killed himself.
The release of the video comes as Alabama officials seek ways to prevent similar incidents. A state legislator, Rep. Kerry Rich of Albertville, said he is working on legislation that would allow schools to arm some teachers or other employees. The workers to be armed would be chosen by the system’s superintendent. Also, state officials have scheduled a meeting for Jan. 9 in Montgomery for legislators, law enforcement and education officials to discuss possible ways to prevent such shootings.
A spokesman for the governor, Jeremy King, said the video was originally produced by the Houston Police Department. It was released in Alabama with a short introduction by state Homeland Security Director Spencer Collier.
The video depicts a shooting inside an office.
A screen grab of the original video, which was made in Texas. In Alabama’s production, after a short opening by Alabama Homeland Security Director Spencer Collier, it shows a gunman shooting three people before a voice intones, “If you were ever to find yourself in the middle of an active shooter event, your survival may depend on if you have a plan.”Other measures taken include additional training for law enforcement and continued use of a hotline and website where citizens can report suspicious people or situations.
ALDHS Director Spencer Collier
Collier said it cost less than $5,000 to add the introduction, edit the video to make it compatible for an Alabama audience and distribute it. That expenditure was approved by the Legislature’s Contract Review Committee, said Collier, a former House member from Mobile County and an ex-state trooper.
“I encourage you to be prepared,” Collier said in his introduction. In the video, a man, dressed in black shoots several workers as he casually strolls through the crowded office. The narrator offers several pieces of advice, including:
— “Encourage others to leave with you, but don’t let them get in your way.”
— “Remember what’s important is not your stuff. Leave your belongings behind.”
— “Your survival may depend on whether or not you have a plan.”
Although the video was made before the Connecticut shootings, Collier said it was originally scheduled to be distributed in January. But that was moved up because of the shooting at the elementary school.
Collier said the video will be offered for training purposes to law enforcement agencies. It will also be used to help train education officials and private employers.
He said Homeland Security officials have found the best course of action is to offer training to a few selected individuals and then let them train others. Collier said his department would work with education officials to make sure the video matches safety plans already in existence for schools.
The hotline for reporting a suspected shooter is 1-866-229-6220. An online form to report suspicious activity can be accessed at https://fusion.alabama.gov/Report-Suspicious-Activity.aspx.
The department also has suggestions for how to act and what to do in an active shooter event here.
2 comments
The only real answer to making our children safe from this type of violence at school is to make security improvements to school grounds, fencing, electronically locking doors with extremely strict admittance policies. Entrance by non students/faculty should ONLY be into a secure area of the main office and access to student areas denied. Also there should be training and arming of certain teachers. These teachers should be selected by their peers and co-workers for character and ability to preform this duty, trained and retrained each summer in tactics and safety measures. Paid a stipend (much like coaches are) for the added duty. And their identity kept secret from students and parents (so an attacker wouldn’t know who to take out first) and the number of armed teachers should be proportional to the number of students enrolled in each school, say one armed teacher per 200 students.
Thoughtful post. Thanks. -Ed.