Trained for Crisis Shootings

Palm Beach County residents can rest easy knowing that the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is just as prepared as the San Bernardino, California, Police Department to deal with a mass shooting crisis. It’s not a subject most people want to think about, but in light of the San Bernardino, California, domestic terrorist shooting recently, it is something about which everyone wants to be reassured.

“We just did a training last week,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told CBS12 News in a recent interview. “We train for this continually—in buildings, in schools, buses, trains, planes—our special units can do anything on any convenience. We’re fully prepared, not to mention all of my deputies have rifles. They are fully equipped with those type of weapons too.”

Sheriff Bradshaw said the training was videotaped and a copy was provided to the television station. It is also posted on the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office website so anyone can go online and watch it.

Having the right equipment and being trained is only half of the battle when dealing with this type of scenario. Sheriff Bradshaw said that the other part is getting to the scene quickly and neutralizing the threat immediately to prevent as many people from being killed by the shooter(s) as possible. “So the faster you get there, the more you engage in the process real quick, and neutralize the suspect, the better off it’s going to be,” he said.

Sheriff Bradshaw feels that it is a violence problem that comes from the hearts and minds of the people holding the guns. “It is regulating the fact that we need to keep the guns out of the hands of the people that are unstable, have issues, have criminal pasts. It’s all about the background checks,” he said, referring to the need to screen prospective gun buyers. Sheriff Bradshaw maintains that gun control is not the issue, but preventing the wrong people from getting the guns as much as is humanly possible.

While it is not completely possible to prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands because some people do not go through the proper channels to purchase one, or may even get them from a family member without money being spent, it is good to know that the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is prepared. “Our deputies know what to do. They’re fully trained and we train often, so we can handle it,” said Sheriff Bradshaw.