RADFORD, Va. – Officers from different Radford law enforcement agencies are participating in active-threat trainings throughout the week.
Radford City Police, the Radford Sheriff’s Office, and Radford University Police will be at Radford High school the first week of August to take part in the trainings.
On Monday night, the departments gave 10 News an inside look at what the officers experienced during the training.
Officers were presented with different scenarios such as chained-up or boarded-up doors, and the number of active threats was changed in each scenario.
Jeff Dodson, Chief of Police for Radford City Police, said it’s important for his team to be prepared for any circumstance.
“The threat. Each one of these is a little different. What happened during a particular incident? Did the shooter use a certain means? Or did he use a certain entry point or something like that? So we have to adjust our tactics and adjust our training to make sure we’re prepared to address that,” Dodson said.
After several mass shootings plagued the nation, the focus of Radford authorities has really shifted to these types of trainings.
Dodson said it’s always important to adapt to new tactics and methods. Seeing how police responded in certain circumstances can be beneficial for future instances where an active threat is at large.
“Whenever we have one of these incidents that may occur hundreds of miles in another state and locality, we look at that and you have to grow from that. You have to learn from that,” Dodson said.
The trainings try to mimic very real-life scenarios – Blank rounds and fake bullets give the sounds and even the feel of real-life rounds being shot off.
Being prepared for anything is crucial in a world where mass shootings could continue to happen.
“Nobody expects this to happen to their community. Nobody expects this evil to come to their community. What we want to make sure of here at Radford is if that day comes, we’re prepared to address it,” Dodson said.
The trainings will continue throughout the week at Radford High School. The public should be aware of a high police presence at the school due to the trainings.