Manchester Police To Host Active Shooter Response Training

How should a church or a school handle an active shooter situation?

Most currently take a hunker down and take cover approach; but law enforcement authorities are considering a different approach: the ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) approach.

The Manchester Township Police Department is hosting training in the ALICE approach on July 20 and 21. The training is designed to teach proactive survival strategies in violent intruder or active shooter situations, according to a news release from the police department.

“These strategies can be utilized by schools, universities, places of worship, hospitals and other workplaces. The goal of the ALICE program is to provide individuals with survival-enhancing options for those critical moments in the gap between when a violent situation begins and when law enforcement arrives on scene,” according to the news release.

The Manchester police department is a proponent of ALICE as it increases survival rates during an active shooter situation by empowering individuals to be proactive, rather than hunkering in place awaiting law enforcement while a dangerous situation unfolds. Further, it is in line with recommendations from the U.S. Department of Education, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Registration for the course is $595 per person and can be completed online by visiting www.alicetraining.com and selecting Manchester Township Police from the event calendar.

Anyone with questions is invited to contact Sgt. Mike Leming: 732-657-2009, ext. 341, mleming@manchestertwp.com; or Lt. James Sharkey: 732-657-2009, ext. 4602, jsharkey@manchestertwp.com.

The course will be held at Manchester Township High School, 101 S. Colonial Drive, Manchester, NJ 08759.