Tactical Training Prepares Police for Crisis Situations

CW from Above: Inside a hallway, armed police search for the perpetrator. • A member of the team is “down!” As deputies stand guard, Sgt. William Mooney tends to the “injured” officer. • Under the watchful eyes of Sgt. Michael Szabo (left) and Investigator Thomas Velotti (right) these deputies enter the old Butterfield Hospital building for a report of an armed intruder. Photos by ERIc GROSS. The former Butterfield Hospital building in Cold Spring was the scene of a tactical training exercise several weeks ago when 45 members of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department simulated scenarios that prepared emergency responders to active shooter situations in a school or office building setting.

Heavily armed deputies, corrections officers, and investigators participated in the training that was devised by the National Tactical Officers Association.

Sgt. Michael Szabo and Investigator Thomas Velotti, two veteran members of the department, coordinated the 16- hour course.

Szabo described the current state of affairs across America as “troubling. School threats and situations at shopping centers have unfortunately become a common occurrence around New York and across America. Putnam is not immune to the carnage seen on television newscasts every week. We must be prepared.”

Velotti called active shooter training a “necessity not a luxury in law enforcement. When I began my career more than 20 years ago such training was unavailable. Today our department has joined with the Carmel PD, Putnam Bureau of Emergency Services, and Kent Police to form the Emergency Response Team—a highly trained group of officers which respond to crisis and hostage situations.”

Szabo added: “Statistics have shown active shooter situations are over with in a few minutes. On our best day the ERT might take 30-45 minutes to mobilize. During the Virginia Tech tragedy, it was not the SWAT team that halted the carnage, but a patrol officer who confronted the suspect, who immediately ended his life.”

The sergeant said for every 10 seconds a crazed person is left alone in a school or community venue, “one victim will be killed or maimed. Cops can’t wait, but must aggressively deal with a situation.”

Throughout the day, the police personnel conducted a series of scenarios in the dark, dank, and dilapidated building. Cops entered rooms, searched hallways, and invaded offices. In one instance, a member of the team was incapacitated by gunfire.

The weapons used were replicas of the Sheriff’s Department-issued handguns. The only difference was that the replicas shot rounds with bullets containing red or blue soap that left a mark on the “victim,” not a bullet hole.

Szabo summed up the exercise: “Reality-based training pays big dividends.”