(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – The Missouri Safety Center and the Institute for Public Safety at the University of Central Missouri will host a course on the protocols for responding to violence in schools on July 1 at Warrensburg High School.
The eight-hour course, titled “Critical Response to the Active Shooter,” will examine the dynamics surrounding violence in schools and what to expect during a law enforcement response to a report of an active shooter, according to a news release. It reviews the history of violence in schools, demographics of attackers, and the most publicized active school shooter tragedies.
It also provides information relating to emergency response procedures for school officials, including elements of a lockdown procedure, what to do if a shooter pulls the fire alarm and how to respond to shots fired inside the school.
All participants will learn proper priorities for active shooter situations, the responsibility of the “contact team,” tips for locating the shooter, and the legal standard for using force to stop the shooting, according to the news release. Law enforcement first responders will participate in basic tactical movement and room entry exercises.
Instructors for the course are Lt. Michael Turner, an 18-year veteran of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and Cpl. Steve Gisselbeck, a member of the MSHP Troop F SWAT team for more than 13 years, including five years as a member of the entry team.
Turner has coordinated annual SWAT training for the MSHP and other Missouri agencies. He is the founder and past president of the Central Missouri Tactical Officers Association and one of the principal authors of the Highway Patrol SWAT manual.
Gisselbeck has received a large amount of specialized tactical training and has been an active shooter instructor since 2010 and a defense tactics instructor since 2007. He assists with firearms, SWAT and other tactical training programs for the MSHP.
Pre-registration is required. The fee for registration received prior to June 20 is $169 per person, or $209 per person after that date.  The registration form is available online at midwestpolice.com and may be submitted by fax to 573-814-0069 or email to [email protected]. Seating is limited to 20 persons.