TUPD planning for active shooter drill

At the start of this semester, the Troy University Police Department (TUPD) released a guidance notice for what students should do in the event of a school shooting and are working on an active shooter drill on campus.  

The notice surrounded  “Run, Hide, Fight,” which aims to teach people how to react in the event of an active shooter. Run, Hide, Fight is a nationally recognized safety tactic for active-shooter situations. 

“First and foremost, if you hear gunfire, you need to find an escape route of some sort," said Troy University Police Chief George Beaudry. "It’s going to depend on the proximity of the gunfire. 

“If it’s anywhere near you, you have to evaluate whether to run, hide or fight. A decision has to be made on where you are when you hear the gunfire and how close it is to you." 

According to Beaudry, plans for an active shooter drill have been in the works with Troy's administration for months. 

"There are conversations that have taken place between me and the administration about an active shooter drill," Beaudry said. "We are working on that, and we think it's important.  

"There's no specific timeline on it right now because there are a lot of preparations that have to be done before then. We have to have documentation of the plan first.  

If we were to exercise tomorrow, I think we would be a little premature just because the plan isn’t fully set in stone.” 

Katie Ponder, a freshman who has not yet declared a major from Pelham, Alabama, said she thinks a practice drill would be beneficial.  

“I think it’s a good idea for Troy to have a potential active shooter drill in the future,” Ponder said. “I would never want an actual shooting to happen, but I think it would be good idea for our campus to be prepared for a situation like that.” 

Garett Harmon, a senior social science education major, from Chelsea, Alabama, is skeptical of an active shooter drill. 

“I think practicing an active shooter drill is wise, but I’m not sure how the school’s administration could ensure that everyone participates,” Harmon said. “It’s the same thing with a fire drill, not everyone is at their dorm when those happen.” 

Even though the plans for an active shooter aren’t ready, Beaudry says TUPD is. 

“When it comes to the active shooter or mass casualty type drill, our officers are practicing more than once a year on how to respond to these situations," Beaudry said. "A major piece of the puzzle is knowing that our officers are prepared." 

Even though there is no timeline on the active shooter drill, students are still encouraged to follow run, hide, fight if the situation arises. Resources on Run, Hide, Fight are readily available through most major platforms, including the Omnilert and FBI websites. Online training videos are also available on YouTube.