The Youngsville Police Department hosted an active shooter training course at Southside High school. Local agencies and law enforcement were put to the test.

Training for an active threat is something every police department is implementing among the nine parishes. The Youngsville Police Department conducting an active shooter training here at Southside High School. Officers believe the summer is the perfect time to get prepared.

“It’s a matter of making people aware of what they’re supposed to be doing whenever something like this occurs,” said Lafayette Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer John Mowell.

Several agencies broke out into different scenarios and had to make decisions on how to handle this situation. It ranged from how to enter the building to approach the suspected shooter. All first responder agencies in the parish participated, including; air-med, all law enforcement agencies and local fire departments.

John Mowell said they wanted to take advantage of getting familiar with the new school.

“Summertime is a great opportunity to do that because school is out. As you see, Southside High School… that’s a brand new school. So, this gives all the agencies who are stakeholders in safety for families and children in the area to come together and be able to train in this environment,” Mowell added.

Officers added that an active threat doesn’t just include shootings, but they’re also training for someone attempting to pierce their vehicle into a crowd, bomb threats and more.