Oregon National Guard military police learn active shooter response from civilian law enforcement instructors

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Anita Stratton | Spc. Sheldon Baty, of Enterprise, Oregon; Pvt. Rylee Hostetler, of LaGrande, Oregon; Cadet Gregg Shimer, of Boardman, Oregon; and Pvt. Erick Harper, of Richand, Washington; conduct team movement drills based on demonstrations taught by current and retired law enforcement officers at the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) in Salem, Oregon, April 2, 2016. The MPs learned active shooter response techniques from their civilian counterparts and how to integrate with civilian law enforcement in case emergencies require a combined effort to protect Oregon citizens. (Oregon Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Anita VanderMolen, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)  

SALEM, OR, UNITED STATES

04.03.2016

Story by Sgt. Anita Stratton 

115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

SALEM, Oregon – Soldiers of the Oregon Army National Guard’s 1186th Military Police (MP) Company spent a day at the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) learning active shooter response techniques from their civilian counterparts in Salem, Oregon, April 2, 2016.

“The goal of this training is to integrate what we are training the police throughout the state of Oregon with the MPs that are serving here in Oregon in our National Guard,” said DPSST Regional Training Coordinator Tim Ragan. “We want to get them on the same page so that if there were ever a situation they would be an asset to us, or to be able to help a local agency with some sort of emergency.”

Normally, the training takes two days. The MPs received a crash course in four hours.

“It is a familiarization training,” DPSST Instructor Josh Calief said. “They are learning timing and response: to see and identify what is going on and to identify the threat, then reacting accordingly.”



The Soldiers began with classroom instruction learning the techniques and philosophy behind the action. After the classroom instruction, the Soldiers were shown demonstrations of the techniques; practiced the techniques without ammunition; then they went through scenarios with role players and man-marking ammunition cartridges. The idea was to have the training be as close to real life as possible.

“It has been an eye opener, a refresher, actually having role-players and incorporating what we already know,” said Pfc. Andrea Martinez, of Hermiston, Oregon. “Being able to do training in facilities like this, using weapons and doing tactics we talk about consistently - it’s like it’s real.”

During the training scenarios, the MPs had to get civilians out safely, identify and subdue the threat, all while taking fire. The Soldiers cleared a tower-type building with stairs and rooms while searching for the shooter. They also trained in a school-type building, clearing classrooms until they identified the threat and captured him.

“We did scenarios where we had to clear the buildings and people were shooting at us with munitions rounds,” said Spc. Alexander Lofting, of Pendleton, Oregon. “When I was in the tower there were a lot of stairs. It was kind of confusing.”
After each scenario, the instructors commented on why the scenario was set up in a certain way. They asked the Soldiers what they saw, how did they react, and why they reacted that particular way.

“We make noise, have some gunfire, send civilians out to cause confusion,” said Chris Wingo, who role-played as an active shooter. “They did very well both times. They acquired the target quickly, made a decision to shoot.”

The survival skill instructors are retired or current law enforcement officers working throughout the state. They said decision-making is imperative when operating in an intense situation. Decisions need to happen fast to prevent loss of life.

“Make a decision and go with it. You have to take charge,” said DPSST Instructor Greg Peterson. “Drive straight forward. Keep moving. You may get hit, suck it up and move on.”

The basics of military and civilian law enforcement are essentially the same. It is how and why the techniques are implemented that makes them different. Each unit has a different mission and they train accordingly. Stateside active shooter response is different to any of the training MP Soldiers received in basic training and their initial training as an MP.

“As MP Soldiers we have to operate at one end of the spectrum for wartime missions then we have to operate at the complete opposite end for peacetime, or stateside missions,” said Staff Sgt. Kristopher Baxter, platoon sergeant with the 1186th MP Company. “It’s a different mindset.”
Stateside law enforcement for the MPs includes crowd control, safety checks, and traffic stops. With the DPSST training, the MPs will also be able to work together effectively with civilian law enforcement to defeat a threat, such as an active shooter, and save lives.


The MP unit also has civilian law enforcement officers in their ranks. Baxter, from Clackamas, Oregon, said they share the skills they have learned with the unit.

“The training today gave us an advantage of having an entirely civilian-side trained staff and personnel. It gives us a civilian-specific viewpoint,” Baxter added.

One of those dually-qualified law enforcement officers, Staff Sgt. Colleen Neubert, of Irrigon, Oregon, said working together, learning civilian law enforcement operations, techniques and philosophy will aid in peacetime stateside emergency support.

“When the National Guard is called in to help other agencies they will know what we will do; that we are trained to DPSST standards,” said Neubert.

• Date Taken: 04.03.2016
• Date Posted: 05.14.2016 00:32
• Story ID: 198083
• Location: SALEM, OR, US