Spanish Fort Police prepare for new school year with active shooter training

SPANISH FORT, Ala ( WKRG ) — It’s back to school season and students will soon fill the school hallways. In preparation for the school year, the Spanish Fort Police Department is preparing for a situation no one wants to imagine: an active shooter.

“It’s an unfortunate world that we live in, but it’s something we have to practice every year,” Spanish Fort Police Chief John Barber said.

Police on the Eastern Shore are working to keep children safe by participating in active shooter training drills.

The training was specifically designed to teach law enforcement how to respond efficiently and swiftly if an armed shooter steps foot on a school’s campus.

They used a training tactic known as force on force which means they had someone role play as an attacker they needed to take down.

The department also used Simunition guns — guns that look and sound like a real gun but that fire soft bullets that won’t seriously injure anyone. Chief Barber said that using these in the simulation makes the training more realistic like an actual threat.

“When you have innocent kids in schools, we have to practice. We have to train for that worst-case scenario,” Barber said. “So, if that day ever comes, which we hope it never comes again, that they will react in the most effective and efficient way possible.”

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