PEORIA, Ill. – The chief of Bradley University’s police department says they’re well-prepared in case an active shooter situation occurs on campus.
Brian Joschko says his department is trained every couple months in what to do in case something similar to Monday’s shooting at Michigan State University occurs closer to home.
He said the training helps keep everyone up to speed in a situation where timing is vital.
“That’s something that really is so critically important to make sure that we’re providing our police officers with adequate training and resources to be able to respond. Because we know seconds really do matter,” Joschko said.
Joschko says they’re trained just like any other law enforcement agency. But since they’re a university police department, the federal government puts a special emphasis on active shooter training.
He adds that building relationships and working with other local and state law enforcement agencies is critical in an active shooter situation.
“If something major happens, you need those additional officers from those other agencies to come in and help secure that area,” Joschko said. He adds additional officers can help secure buildings or get treatment to those wounded.
Joschko says the campus community plays a vital role in minimizing the threat an active shooter can help.
“Encouraging our campus communities that if they see something suspicious, see something strange, to tell someone,” Joschko said.
He said it doesn’t have to be police officers that students can report something suspicious to. Campus organizations and even residence hall heads can relay important information to the right people.
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