Citizen Active Shooter Awareness Classes Scheduled In Dutchess

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Classes in how people should react to an active shooter situation and its aftermath will be held in Dutchess County in April. Sheriff Adrian “Butch” Anderson, along with the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health and the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, announced citizen active shooter awareness classes.

The classes will be two hours in length and will be broken down into two parts. The first part of the class will be taught by a member of the Sheriff’s Office and will focus on the general “dos and don’ts” should you or someone else be confronted with an active shooter.

The second part will be taught by a member of the Department of Behavioral and Community Health and will focus on steps you can take if you or someone else become injured and are not accessible to emergency services — referred to as “Stop the Bleed.”

The classes are scheduled as follows:

• Saturday, April 7, 2018, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, Room 113, 392 Creek Rd., Poughkeepsie.
• Saturday, April 14, 2018 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, Room 113, 392 Creek Rd., Poughkeepsie.

The classes are geared toward increasing awareness about what to do if you are confronted with an active shooter-type situation, and are meant to provide general guidance on what can be done to give you and those around you the best chance of survival until help arrives. The Sheriff's Office said the classes are in no way meant to train someone to handle an active shooter situation themselves or take any action which would be best performed by trained law enforcement and medical personnel.

The classes are free of charge and open to anyone from any organization, agency, or business — for example those in office environments, local municipalities, religious organizations, educational organizations or medical organizations.

If you would like to attend one of these classes, register by contacting the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Training Division at (845) 486-3870 or via email at dcsotraining@dutchessny.gov.

The Sheriff's Office said future classes are being planned and locations in the northern and eastern parts of the county are being considered. More information on those will released at a later time once details are finalized.

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