Active Shooter Response Training To Be Conducted In Hillsborough

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Hillsborough will be conducting an Active Shooter Response Training exercise on Thursday, June 16 at the Peter J. Biondi Municipal Building to prepare employees in the event of an active shooter.

"Training of this nature is very important for our emergency responders as well as for our employees. It is unfortunate that we even have to train and plan for such events, but given the recent occurrences in our nation, we believe in being prepared and bringing awareness in the event of this type of emergency situation," said Mayor Shawn Lipani.

The training will involve employees of the Municipal Building, including the Board of Education offices.

The building and the library will be closed to the public from about 8 a.m. until noon.

"It is critical that our employees understand how the Police and other first responders will respond in the event of an active shooter or other similar type of threat," said Lipani.

Over the years, Hillsborough Township has conducted a number of active shooter training exercises with the first held in 2014 at the Municipal Building.

Another was held in 2016. In 2018 a large-scale active shooter training exercise was held at Auten Road Intermediate School during the summer, and in 2019 an exercise was held at the Department of Public Works facility.

The upcoming June 16 exercise will be conducted in a similar manner as the previous ones.

"We will continue to update the public to make them aware of the building closure and that this is a training exercise and not an actual event," said Hillsborough Township Police Chief Mike McMahon, who also reminded residents to subscribe to SwiftReach, the Emergency Alert system.

The training is a collaborative effort between the Township Administration, Hillsborough Township Police, and the Office of Emergency Management. The goal of the training exercise is to prepare employees should an active shooter enter the complex.

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