Report: 'Active Shooter' Training Video Available to Bergen Schools
The video, filmed at David E. Owens Middle School, depicts two armed shooters breaking into a local school, and aims to teach school officials and emergency workers how to respond, report says
A new 20-minute video that depicts how police agencies, fire departments, emergency responders and school personnel should react to “active shooter” situations in schools is now available to districts across Bergen County, NJ.com reported Tuesday.
“Lockdown,” which was produced by the County Prosecutor’s Office and filmed at David E. Owens Middle School over a year ago, simulates a two armed attackers breaking into the school with rifles and a homemade bomb, the report says. According to NJ.com, the video shows how two teachers react to the situation differently, and points out which reaction is better, and why.
"There have been so many [school shootings], and no two are ever identical," said Bergen County Police Sgt. John LaDuca explained in the article. "There's always something new about each one, so we just tried to take aspects from each of them and combine them into one."
The video may become a resource for schools across New Jersey if it is approved by the state Department of Education, the report said.
School safety and preparedness for active shooter situations have been major concerns of local parents, school officials and law enforcement agencies since a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., claimed the lives of 26 victims.
At a School Safety Summit for Bergen County School Boards Association members held in Mahwah last week, the township's police chief Jim Batelli said being prepared with an active school shooter emergency response plan is one of the most important measures an agency can take.
