The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office and the Newton Police Department recently completed a school safety and security program, with school districts and staff within Jasper County.
The cooperative effort between law enforcement and school administration officials resulted in more than 800 staff receiving additional training and information in response to active shooter incidents. The training was based upon the nationally recognized Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate course developed in Texas.
The training course consisted of lecture, PowerPoint, video and scenario-based situations. Law enforcement officers, certified as ALICE instructors, led the training sessions. The project also allowed law enforcement and school administration officials to work on uniform emergency response plans concerning any type of incidents that might occur within the school systems.
“During the project, we received a tremendous amount of positive feedback,” Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty stated in a news release. “School staff members also added additional input and suggestions that will improve safety and security at school buildings.”
Halferty thanked several organizations for their assistance and participation in the project, including Baxter Community School District, Colfax-Mingo Community School District, Lynnville-Sully Community School District, Newton Community School District, Prairie City-Monroe Community School District, Baxter Police Department, Colfax Police Department, Jasper County Board of Supervisors, Newton Police Department, Prairie City Police Department and the Monroe Police Department.
“This project would not have been possible without the cooperation of these organizations,” Halferty stated. “Several hours of training time were dedicated to this project. The only cost to this projects was wages of law enforcement instructors. Equipment utilized was also purchased by Jasper County Sheriff’s Office and the Newton Police Department.”
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office also conducted ALICE training for county employees, courthouse staff and several private organizations. County employees participated in the training and additional emergency response plans were discussed and implemented by county departments and offices.
Additional ALICE training will be available upon request. Anyone interested in the training can contact the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office.
