One of the scariest phrases to enter the lexicon in recent years is “active shooter event,” situations where a person with a gun is threatening large groups of people at a school, business or governmental agency.
In response to this growing threat, Snyder Police Department officials are now offering a program called Citizen Response to Active Events (CRAE), which instructs people on what to do if they are caught in the middle of an active shooter event.
Sgt. Michael Counts and officers Rustin Webb and Robert Church recently attended a CRAE instructor course in Abilene and are now offering to share what they learned with businesses, schools and civic groups.
Simply put, citizens’ response to an active shooter event can be summed up by the acronym ADD — Avoid, Deny and Defend.
The first step is to avoid the situation, if at all possible.
“If you’re in a situation, get out of there if it’s possible,” Counts said. “We want you to do that even if you’re carrying a licensed firearm.”
If, however, you are trapped in such a situation, there are still options available, Counts said.
“If you’re in a situation where you can’t avoid the threat, you should try to barricade yourself and others in an area in an attempt to deny the shooter access to you.”
If those two options disappear, however, the option of last resort is to defend yourself against the shooter, Crouch said.
“Sadly, these kind of events are happening more and more often,” he said. “We not only want to have police trained on how to respond to such an event, but citizens, as well.”
Counts, Webb and Church are available to teach the CRAE basics to any group wishing a presentation. To reserve a time, email Counts at mcounts@ci.snyder.tx.us.