Active Threats In School Training Held For Prince George's Officers, Emergency Responders

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — With the start of school just days away for Prince George's County Public Schools, safety is on everyone's mind.

On Tuesday, the Prince George’s County Police Department’s training and education division, as well as the special operations division, hosted a daylong training session on active threats in schools. The training session was designed for PGPD school resource officers as well as Prince George’s County Public School security personnel. The Prince George’s County Fire Department also took part in the training.

The SROs and school security personnel were taught tactics on moving toward a threat, which included an active shooter, as well as room entry options with the goal of stopping a threat as quickly as possible.

“The school year begins here in the county in just a few days. This critical training session for school resource officers and school security personnel is vital, as they would likely be the first line of defense in an active threat situation. Our only goal is to ensure that students and staff are safe, and if ever needed, our officers, the fire department and school system can work cohesively in a crisis situation,” Prince George's County Police Deputy Chief Lakina Webster said.

The training also focused on best practices to bring EMS personnel safely into a contained scene in order to provide critical medical care to those injured.

“Our highest priority is to keep all members of our school communities safe when emergency situations arise,” Gary Cunningham, PGCPS safety and security director, said. “We appreciate our partnership with the Prince George’s County Police Department in proactively working to address any threats to students and staff members.”