Cathedral City PD holds active shooter, mass casualty training for officers

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif (KESQ) – The Cathedral City Police Department is holding active shooter and mass casualty trainings for officers near James Workman Middle School on Wednesday and Thursday. CCPD Police Commander Andrew Diaz said the trainings continue to grow in importance.

"Since 1999 and Columbine, training and police response to these kinds of incidents has completely, turned around," Diaz said. "As we get new officers coming into the police department, we want to train them up, not to mention keeping our, tenured officers also their skills sharp.” 

Officers are split into four-hour training groups to work through different scenarios and tactics, followed by a debrief of how the training went. Officials said the lectures and real-life scenarios are essential to stimulating the officers into making a decision and acting.

"The primary focus is for them to understand that when they're responding to an incident like this is that they're prepared to show up and engage right away," Diaz said. "That means entering the facility, looking for the suspect and stopping them before they continue their killing. Ultimately, our goal is to save as many lives as possible.”

At locations, like the school, officers are immersed in a high pressure scenario with loudspeakers, blanks in firearms and role players. Each factor challenges the way an officer reacts in the moment and changes his next move.

"When we introduce those training needs and we introduce blanks, the loud noise areas that are unknown to them, buildings, hallways, classrooms, the role players, especially when they're coming out," Diaz said.

He went on to say, "The ones that are designed to be victims, they're reaching out to the officers, sometimes pulling on their pant legs, asking them for help. Well, the officer, based on the training, knows that they can't stop and render aid. They have to continue moving towards the sound of the gunfire to find the suspect and stop them."

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from CCPD on the importance of these trainings in event of critical situations in the Coachella Valley.