University of Louisiana at Monroe police officers completed the Louisiana State Police’s "Rapid Deployment for Critical Incidents" training at ULM Tuesday, June 5.

A total of 54 individuals trained for approximately 10 hours during the session, which originated in response to a mandate from Gov. Kathleen Blanco and the Louisiana Board of Regents to increase training for officers in light of the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech.

Officers with Louisiana Tech University, Grambling State University and Southern University in Shreveport all participated, along with representatives from Louisiana Delta Community College and area technical colleges. Monroe, West Monroe and Tallulah police officers trained alongside representatives from LA State Police Probation and Parole, Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office, Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Morehouse Parish Sheriff’s Office.

“The whole concept is that the first responders on the scene can take command of the situation and take out the shooter,” said ULM Police Chief Larry Ellerman. “Training brings increased control, and participants must prepare for eventualities involving a multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency response. Everyone needs to be on the same page, as jurisdictional boundaries are not going to matter when it comes to a shooter being in a school or public building.”

“It is important that we go in and intervene as quickly as possible,” said state police Lt. Duane Schexnayder.

A train-the-trainer approach will allow attendees to pass the instruction on to their colleagues not present for the state police session. Scenarios conducted involved officers arriving on the scene, being quickly briefed and responding accordingly. Later training included role-playing, complete with shooters that had to be apprehended.

“I think the training is great,” said Wayne Brumfield, vice president for Student Affairs. “It gives us an opportunity to team with local law enforcement agencies so that all of the groups in Region 8 can work together and understand what their role is in case of an incident that could jeopardize the lives of students, faculty and staff.”

ULM police officers will travel south for invitation-only training, known as the Law Enforcement Active Shooter Emergency Response (LASER) Course, June 19-20 at the East Baton Rouge Parish Police Academy in Gonzalez. The hands-on training is similarly designed to teach first responders how to rapidly deploy during an active shooter incident in order to prevent further loss of innocent life.