Baylor University Police Department Hosts Active Shooter Training Exercise with Local Law Enforcement

Media Contact: Tonya B. Hudson, Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-710-4656
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WACO, Texas (March 11, 2019) – The Baylor University Police Department (BUPD) along with the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and McLennan Community College (MCC) will participate in a joint active shooter training exercise March 11-12 and March 13-14 at MCC.

The course is designed to prepare first responders to isolate, distract, and neutralize an active shooter. Team movement dynamics, secondary responder tactics and approaching a crisis site will be covered, among other topics. The course will culminate with dynamic force-on-force scenarios with participating officers from BUPD, MCC, MCSO, Texas Department of Public Safety and the McGregor Police Department. Instructors from BUPD and MCSO will lead the training.

“We are constantly assessing and reassessing our training, operations and policies to ensure that we are delivering the best safety and security services to our community that we can on a daily basis,” said Mark G. Childers, associate vice president of Baylor’s Department of Public Safety. “This active shooter training exercise is an example of our high level of preparedness as well as our efforts to maintain our excellent relationship with local law enforcement.”

BUPD Chief Brad Wigtil said the joint exercise helps maintain officers’ skills and ensures cohesive coordination in the event of an incident.

“We conduct these active shooter training exercises to maintain the skill sets BUPD officers would need if they ever had to respond to an active shooter incident,” Wigtil said. “At some of our special events like football or basketball, we supplement BUPD officers with officers from other law enforcement agencies. Training together helps ensure a coordinated response if we had an incident at one of these events.”

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.