Last week, (as earlier reported on our Instagram page), the Lakewood and Jackson Police Departments hosted a joint Active Shooter/Killer Training at the Jackson Liberty High School.
The training was coordinated by Lakewood Lieutenant Robert Shimonovich and Jackson Patrolman Vincent Rubio both of their respective departments training division.
Patrolman Leonard Nieves Jr. instructed the participants on the history and response to an active killer incident. Patrolman Anthony Rizzo gave a presentation on self-aid / buddy aid and the use of a tourniquet, which has become a hand in hand when dealing with any active shooter training.
The cadre of instructors consisted of Lakewood and Jackson Police Officers including the Jackson’s school resource officer Patrolman John Pejoski who coordinated over 100 role players from Jackson Memorial and Liberty High schools. Officer Pejoski also instructed the students on ALICE Training which is widely used to train students and school faculty in an active shooter situation. ALICE is the acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate.
The training was offered to all surrounding Law Enforcement agencies at no cost.
In attendance for the training, were officers from the FBI, Lakewood Police, Jackson Police, Manchester Twp. Police, Ocean Township Police, Point Pleasant Borough Police, and Jackson School Security. Officers were given a Powerpoint-type lecture, then safety briefed and outfitted with simunitions (non-lethal training firearms) and then put through several active killer scenarios.
“We use active killer as opposed to active shooter because it is not always a gun that’s involved in these acts it could be a knife or any other type of weapons,” says Shimonovich.
The scenario’s included over 100 role players, which were students from Jackson Memorial High School and Liberty High School, which made the training as life like as safely possible. Sound mimicking equipment was also utilized at the training, which created shouting and screaming – aimed to cause confusion and alarm.
Officers were set up in groups of two or three then sent through the school in a tactical type formation searching for the active killer. During their search, role players would pose as victims or fleeing students trying to get away. Officers have a great challenge when these victims are screaming and running towards them, with identification and deciding to bypass and continue the search. The LRAD sound mimicker then causes confusion by mimicking gun shots, prompting the officers to respond towards the direction of the blasts. At some point they come face to face with the active killer and have to stop the killer (also a role player utilizing the simunition gun shooting back at the officers, creating anxiety and the sense of being shot – which can’t get more lifelike).
“This hands on training is the most valuable type of training, because it puts the officers as close to the real thing as safely possible,” says Shimonovich.” Instructor Rubio and I feel as all the surrounding towns should be on the same page just in case there is an incident. We would respond the same way and work together. It is very probable that in the event of an active shooter/ killer incident, any and all towns will be calling for mutual aid.”
This was the third time such a joint training was held. The first was at Georgian Court University in July 2018, and second was in November at the Christa McCauliff Middle School.
“This training is not only mandatory but helps save lives,” Shimonovich says. “We thank the community for the support and all the departments that sent their personnel to our training.”
