On March 11, 2016, public safety officers, administrators and staff from the College of Charleston participated in an active shooter training exercise at Charleston Police Department headquarters, located at 180 Lockwood Blvd.
In addition to Charleston Police, other agencies participating in the “table top” exercise included the Charleston County Sherriff’s Office, Charleston County Consolidated Dispatch and the FBI.
The exercise was designed to test the operating procedures and protocols of the participating law enforcement agencies in the event that an active shooter incident should occur on or near campus. After being provided with fictitious scenarios about a possible gunman on campus, participants were required to respond and initiate their response plans as if it were an actual emergency.
“The College’s Public Safety Department regularly trains its officers and dispatchers in emergency response tactics,” said College of Charleston Public Safety Chief Robert Reese. “Joint exercises such as this are extremely valuable and help ensure that our campus officers are familiar with the techniques and equipment used by other law enforcement agencies that would support us in a major emergency.”
In addition to the College’s Public Safety Department, other campus units participating in the exercise included the Office of the President, the Department of Environmental Health and Safety and the Division of Marketing and Communications. As part of the training, campus officials reviewed campus emergency plans and notification procedures, including the Cougar Alert emergency notification system.
Given that the College’s urban campus presents unique challenges for emergency responders, it is imperative that fellow law enforcement agencies regularly train together so that when emergencies do occur, responders are all working from the same page.
