Levelland Police Department Officers completed an Advanced-Active Shooter Incident Management course this past weekend that was hosted by the Lubbock Police Department.
Advanced-Active Shooter Incident Management (ASIM) focuses on training officers and emergency personnel in a variety of hands-on scenarios that prepare them for attack attempts ranging from basic complexity to complex simultaneous coordinated attacks.
LPD personnel that participated in the course include Captain Mateo Lopez, Sgt. John Carrasco, Officer Anthony Castellano and School Resource Officer Josh Rincones.
Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) is the national standard to combat active threat type incidents. The ALERRT training essentially covers how first responders respond and conduct themselves in such cases.
Lopez added that the ASIM course is similar to ALERRT and is an additional tool law enforcement can use if the need arises to handle an active threat. As ALERRT is mostly geared toward law enforcement personnel, ASIM runs parallel with FEMA which allows the course to include all first responders. In 2023, over the span of 34 courses, over 1,600 first responders have received training from the ASIM course.
A three day course, Lopez explained that is was an intense course because it targeted all levels from patrol to command staff. The course mapped out what each role every level of staff had and gave those in various levels the opportunity to learn every level.
“Once this class came onto our radar, our goal was to send someone from each tier of our command structure,” explained Lopez. “ We wanted to cover our bases from top to bottom.”
Lopez represented the administrative level, Carrasco represented the first line of supervisor role, Castellano represented the patrol level and Rincones represented the school resource officer program.
“The program put all of us in foreign positions because Carrasco learned what the administrative level learned and the same went for Rincones and Castellano,” explained Lopez. “The program allowed us to learn the entirety of how a well run system should work when crisis hits.”
Lopez and his officers covered command decisions, logistics and managing resources. Within the three days, all participants engaged in 11 fullscale exercises which were very in depth scenarios that groups had to navigate from start to finish.
Dispatchers, fire, EMS, emergency management coordinators, public information and even a helicopter station were included in the scenarios and individuals within the command roles exercised public relation responsibilities.
“Those exercises definitely helped us learn the logistics side of things and how to properly utilize resources efficiently and effectively,” said Lopez. “Essentially, it comes down to controlling the chaos by making precise decision. If we have all these resources and personnel, it does not matter if we do not know how to use them properly.”
For Lopez, one of the core things learned from the scenarios is accountability. When conducting the exercises, the command was required to know at least badge numbers and roles throughout the entire scenario.
“Even though we had personnel from multiple agencies that had never worked together before, being on top of badge numbers and roles allowed us to operate,” said Lopez. “If something were to happen that required us to need outside resources and personnel, those practices would allow us to work more efficiently.”
Classes for active threats are becoming more common and often required for law enforcement agencies along with first responders.
Lopez explained that the course consisted 90% of running through scenarios and 10% of lecture in order to give the participants viable examples and experiences.
Most often, the active threat case that comes to mind for Texans is what happened in Uvalde. Lopez explained that there were so many resources thrown at them that it became difficult to maneuver all of them. With this course, it allows first responders to understand how to efficiently operate every aspect of handling an active threat when chaos ensues.
“I think this training is one step in the right direction we want to go as an agency and area,” said Lopez. “Chief Garcia has been very proactive when it comes to training and education. When it comes to policy and procedures he wants us to be up to date and ready for anything.”
Additionally, Lopez highlighted the willingness the departments officers when it comes to learning and wanting to be ready for responsibilities that may fall upon them in dire circumstances.
“This type of training is one of those necessary evils we have to have now,” said Lopez. “It’s unfortunate we have to have this type of training, but it allows us to come full circle with what we are doing here and trying to provide the best safety practices for Levelland.”
Lopez added that they do have senior level staff that have been trained through ALERRT and can now give those training to law enforcement personnel when needed.
With the partnership between ALERRT and South Plains College at the Reese campus, Lopez added he see’s that partnership proving its worth within the area as the program has serviced a large number of law enforcement personnel within the area.
“All these types of trainings allow us to go back and look at our policy’s and procedures to put us in a place where we need to be,” said Lopez.
Officers within the department recently went through ALERRT Level One training last month at the Reese Campus and another in service active shooter training is scheduled for next month.
Lopez added that officers within the department will continue to seek out the valuable trainings in the future.
The ASIM training was held in partnership with C3 Pathways and the Lubbock Police Department.
As most active shooter training focuses on tactics to stop the shooter. This leaves responders struggling to manage the scene and the clock trying to rescue victims before they bleed to death — a critical training gap.
C3 Pathways developed a response process that integrates police, fire, and EMS so the shooter is stopped quickly, and victims are rescued quickly, which results in saving more lives. C3 Pathways provides the process, curricula, and training so they can close the gap.