Allegheny County Sheriff shares active shooter training advice

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — The images of police running through the streets, and high school students with arms in the air show just how real an active shooter situation can be.

“The people inside these buildings get on their cell phones and start calling family but the number one thing is to be on the phone and call 911,” said Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin Kraus.

Kraus was part of the response team in Oakland as active shooter hoax calls were made to the local high schools.

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“When you get all those different agencies together that rapidly it is obviously is very chaotic. It’s universal training on how to respond to those situations and I thought the response for those scenes was very good,” Kraus said.

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While law enforcement gets this type of training, what about the public?

“We do provide that type of education; we’ve provided it for years and don’t get a lot of requests but about two or three times a year,” Kraus said.

But with active shooters top of mind and businesses returning to the office following the pandemic, it’s important to brush up on what you may need to know.

“The main thing is situational awareness. Be aware of your office or your workspace,” Kraus said.

While a number of law enforcement agencies across the county do offer this type of training, the sheriff is open to having a conversation about how they work together to provide future training to businesses that may want this type of education.

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