- Date published
Missouri Department of Public Safety continues funding to Public Safety Training Center.
Preparation and training are critical to saving lives in defending against active shooter attacks. In 2023, the Missouri State University Public Safety Training Center and School of Criminology and Criminal Justice provided Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT active shooter training) to 200 officers from 63 agencies across Missouri.
Recently, the Missouri Department of Public Safety awarded the PSTC $50,000. These funds, provided by the Department of Justice’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, will ensure the continued offering of the ALERRT Level 1 Active Shooter course in 2024.
Last year, an initial $50,000 in funding from Missouri DPS helped Missouri State University to establish the widely acclaimed active shooter defense training program.
“We are providing the national standard of active shooter training and response,” said Dr. Bill Sandel, assistant professor of MSU’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. “This training has impacted over 60 agencies and will help better prepare our officers. The most common feedback we hear is how beneficial the skills are and how the training is a great balance between instruction and practical exercises.”
This year, Missouri DPS is also providing funding for additional top-of-the-line equipment and supplies. With these in hand, Missouri State will be able to schedule and provide more ALERRT training sessions across the state.
“The partnership between MSU and Missouri DPS is bringing critically important training to Missouri law enforcement agencies across our state,” DPS Director Sandy Karsten said. “The train-the-trainer model that is used means that top-tier active shooter response training is reaching even more officers. We look forward to the PSTC expanding training opportunities in 2024.”
Cody Brewington, director of the PSTC, provides an example of the enormous impact these funds and kits provide to the organizations the center serves.
“This summer we had five classes within a three-week timespan. Had we had our equipment, we could have potentially offered more classes,” Brewington said. “The lack of availability of schools and training sites give us a narrow timeframe to pull off a statewide training approach.”
