Lawmakers want active shooter training to improve school safety | #schoolsaftey #kids #parents #children

An interim study at the Oklahoma Capitol on Wednesday focused on improving active shooter response training by emphasizing consistency and prioritizing standardized practices across agencies.

Colton Jones, an Army veteran with Black Banner Group, highlighted the importance of training by referencing two major school shootings.

“Of course, everyone knows about the big one, Uvalde, and the lack of training that caused that to happen,” Jones said.

He contrasted this with the response to the Sandy Hook shooting.

“With that one, you saw it more. The officers that had a lot of training went in and handled the situation a lot faster,” Jones said.

During state Rep. Rick West’s interim study, a proposal was discussed to restructure the state’s required 24 hours of annual continuing education for law enforcement, making active shooter training a top priority.

Tanner Killingsworth, a school resource officer in Latimer County, emphasized the dangers of inconsistent training.

“In a situation where time is critical, inconsistent training and conflicting tactics can lead to confusion, delayed responses, and unnecessary risk to officers and innocent civilians,” Killingsworth said.

Speakers at the study referenced major incidents, including Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, and Uvalde, Texas. Jones pointed to the lengthy delay during the Uvalde shooting as a critical failure.

“First contact to breach into the building was 77 minutes, and that was lack of coordination, and lack of training,” Jones said.

He added, “If you look into that deeply, the first person into that building was a civilian, and it was lack of coordination from law enforcement.”

Killingsworth explained that differences in professional development, training methods, terminology, and response procedures can hinder responses, creating significant communication and coordination issues when officers from multiple agencies respond to the same incident.

“Requiring annual standardized active shooter training throughout Oklahoma would help establish consistency among agencies, improve interagency communication, strengthen officer preparedness, and reduce the likelihood of preventable mistakes during critical incidents,” Killingsworth said.

The Oklahoma Legislature has already provided funding for schools to conduct risk assessments every five years.