Special Reaction Team Conducts Active Shooting Training

Photo By Sgt. Alexander Chatoff | The Special Reactions Team with the 178th and 226th Military Police Detachments executes simulated active shooter training with MPs from the 401st Military Police Company at Fort Cavazos, Sept. 13-14, 2023.  

TX, UNITED STATES

09.13.2023

Story by Sgt. Alexander Chatoff 

89th Military Police Brigade

Unfortunately, the potential for active shootings is more prevalent throughout the country than ever before. So in turn, the 89th Military Police Brigade trains to handle and respond to active shootings. The Special Reaction Team, or SRT, with the 178th Military Police Detachment, conducted an active shooter response training for the military police Soldiers of the 401st Military Police Company Sept. 13-14 at Fort Cavazos.

This training was conducted to ensure the military police on Fort Cavazos have the knowledge, skills and tactics necessary to perform their duties effectively in accordance with the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training, otherwise known as ALERRT, program, which is the national standard for active shooter response.

ALERRT is designed to equip first responders with strategies to respond to active shooting situations. Following the Uvalde school shooting that took place in May 2022, Gov. Greg Abbott instructed that all police throughout the state of Texas are trained in this program.

ALERRT is a veteran, first responder-taught program that incorporates training in team movement, room entry techniques, approaching and breaching in a crisis, shooting and moving and post-engagement priorities.

“Today we are conducting ALERRT training,” Spc. Keegan Fredriksen, SRT, 178th MP Det., said. “This program is to acquaint regular patrol officers with ALERRT. This training is especially important to know so we can make sure all our military police officers are capable and efficient at taking care of a threat if it arises.”

The training conducted by the SRT is imperative to the military police officers of Fort Cavazos, so if a situation of an active shooter were to occur, all the officers would be confident in their abilities and their counterparts’ abilities to handle a threat in a crisis situation.

“As the installation’s SRT, what we do is deal with highly volatile threats that patrols may have their hands full with,” Fredriksen said. “The team specializes in hostage rescue or active threats. With our training of these Soldiers, we ensure that we are all the top of the line in terms of marksmanship, our professional capability and our tactical prowess.”

Military police officers like the Soldiers on the SRT conduct more than 70 hours of training a month on situations including active shooting response training, advanced marksmanship training and ballistic micro-fights training to train for realistic fighting scenarios. The amount of training conducted is to give the families on Fort Cavazos peace of mind that the 89th MP Bde. police officers are trained and prepared for anything.

“This training is meant to make Soldiers and their families feel safe because it makes sure that every single patrol on Fort Cavazos that we would train is up to the national standard on active shooter responses,” Fredriksen said.

Guaranteeing that all military police officers on Fort Cavazos are confident in their skills of handling active shooter responses is imperative especially in reference to public safety for Soldiers and Soldier’s families, veterans that visit Fort Cavazos and Department of Defense civilians.

“It always feels good knowing that people will trust you enough to keep them safe,” Pvt. Valerie Martinez, 401st MP Co., 720th Military Police Battalion, said. “If something were to happen like an active shooting, people on Fort Cavazos will always have us as a resource.”

SRT training ensures that the 89th MP Bde. Soldiers have the knowledge, skills and tools necessary to perform their duties effectively and safely in accordance with the law. This training also creates a focus on integrating law enforcement Soldiers with the Fort Cavazos community by building trust, fostering cooperation and enhancing overall public safety.

• Date Taken: 09.13.2023
• Date Posted: 01.18.2024 11:29
• Story ID: 462012
• Location: TX, US