"We can't help until we stop the threat:" MPD leads active shooter training session in Lake Geneva
LAKE GENEVA -- The shooting in San Bernardino last week that left 14 people dead has sparked action across the country, and here in southeastern Wisconsin. The Milwaukee Police Department hosted an active shooter training session in Lake Geneva on Monday, December 7th -- five days after the terror attack in San Bernardino.
The active shooter training session was geared toward those with area businesses, but it was open to everyone.
Milwaukee police say drills like this are important, and they say it's important for the public to be involved, because they are the ones that will see and hear the most when these incidents unfold.
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Active shooter events can happen anywhere. We've seen incidents occur at a movie theater in Colorado, an elementary school in Connecticut and now, an office building in California.
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"It would be hard to answer on why that person or people go to those places," Mitch Ross with the Milwaukee Police Department said.
But officials say what we can do, is prepare ourselves for the worst.
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"When we get there, we`re not there to help you folks out at the get go. We can't help you out until we stop the threat. Then we can bring the calvary in," Ross said.
Ross led the active shooter training session in Lake Geneva.
Active shooter training Lake Geneva
"You need to know your facilities and where your safe rooms are. You need to know where to go, who to call, how to help each other out," Ross said.
"I think its just eye-opening in just becoming aware. We certainly will be having some meetings at work and trying to get all of our employees at work aware of what potentially could happen," Linda Chironis said.
Mitch Ross
Ross says the more people that are aware of suspicious activity in their communities, the better.
"It could be international terrorism, domestic terrorism. It could be major criminal activity that`s happening in my community. These are things that we need the public and private sector be involved in. They are the people that see and hear more things than anybody," Ross said.
Ross says it's important to not only be aware of suspicious activity -- but to report that suspicious activity to authorities immediately.
Ross says besides calling 911, you can call your local fusion center.
A fusion center is a collaborative effort of two or more agencies that provide resources, expertise, and information to the center with the goal of maximizing their ability to detect, prevent, investigate, and respond to criminal and terrorist activity. Intelligence processes – through which information is collected, integrated, evaluated, analyzed, and disseminated – are a primary focus.
See Something Say Something
CLICK HERE for a list of suspicious activities that should be reported, and instructions on how to report that behavior.