Bridgewater Undergoes Active Shooter Training At Camp Cromwell

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bridgewater Township Police and School Security Officers came together to undergo active shooter training at Camp Cromwell on Wednesday.

"I want the community to know that we are training and praying that day never comes to Bridgewater, however, the community should know that we are working hard to be prepared," Bridgewater Police Chief John Mitzak told Patch.

Patch was invited to the training where all 59 uniformed Bridgewater Police Officers and Detectives along with four school security officers participated in an individual officer response to an active shooter.

Each officer was trained on what to do if they are by themself while at a location such as a mall, office building, movie theater and a shooting starts.

"Ideally when a shooting happens you want to be able to respond as a team but sometimes you don't have that chance," said Lt. Joe Dolinski.

Dolinski noted that once a shooting begins there is a body count associated with how long the clock runs. This simulation and tactics taught to officers on Wednesday will help them to avoid situations such as the Parkland High School shooting or the Uvalde, Texas Robb Elementary School shooting where officers waited for a team response.

"Unfortunately this is the world we live in but this training will help residents feel safer living in Bridgewater," said Dolinski.

The Township Council passed a resolution on Aug. 17 to award a contract to Northern Red Training for $22,125 to cover the training.

The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District also joined the training by sending four of their security officers. The school district covered the cost for their officers.

"I applaud the goodwill demonstrated by the Bridgewater Police Department for inviting members of our district security team to this critical training. This is another step towards creating a cohesive team working together to protect our students. I hope we continue this type of training and collaboration in the future, as our school security staff and law enforcement work closely on a daily basis," said Superintendent Robert Beers.

This training is just one of many that will be planned for the Bridgewater Police. Dolinski said the department is planning to have each officer undergo a minimum of 10 days of training a year and set an example for other municipalities in the state.

"Bridgewater PD is undergoing an extensive initiative to provably be the best-trained police agency in the state of NJ," said Mitzak.

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