"Active shooter situations are very rare," Police Chief Charles Ferry told Daily Voice, "but it's good to be prepared."
You never know, when you're out in public places, when you could find yourself in such a situation. It's good to pre-plan and have an idea of what to do.
The free "Citizen Response to an Active Shooter" presentation is open to New Castle residents 16 and older. The instructors will be officers from the police department's Firearms Training Unit who have been certified to provide this type of training.
Ferry said the department has hosted this training for town employees, organizations and business, but this is the first one for citizens.
The officers were trained through the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training – or ALERRT – program, based in Texas. That program is funded in part with federal grants, and it's trained over 105,000 police officers across the country, its website notes.
This is one of several seminars department and town will be offering, to prepare citizens for emergencies. Another one in the works deals with fire safety and first aid.
The session will be from 7-9 p.m. at Town Hall.Click here to follow Daily Voice White Plains and receive free news updates.