Education
BY ANNA MANESS
State lawmakers invest $25M to grow active shooter response training site
For over a decade, the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University in San Marcos has been the national standard for active shooter training. With $25 million in recent funding from the state Legislature, ALERRT o cials will enhance its training facility near the San Marcos Regional Airport, Director of External Relations James Keith said. According to Texas State’s 2025-2035 campus master plan, o cials propose consolidating ALERRT operations and training at a site near the airport. The project is proposed to begin construction this year and is expected to wrap up by 2035, according to the campus master plan.
“Our long-term goals are to provide classroom spaces out there [and] dormitory spaces,” Keith said. “We’re very fortunate and grateful to the Legislature who allocated that funding, and we’re hoping to see dirt move sometime this year.” ALERRT was created in 2002 as a partnership between Texas State, the San Marcos Police Department and the Hays County Sheri ’s O ce after a trooper was killed in the line of duty, Keith said. In 2013, the FBI declared ALERRT as the national standard for active shooter training. Now, the program has dozens of partnerships with various law enforcement agencies.
The ALERRT Training Range is a 73-acre property 7 miles east of Texas State’s San Marcos campus.
110
N
How it works
Why it matters
A team of researchers who study active shooter situations help the program continuously improve, as they identify correlations or patterns between incidents to modify ALERRT’s training, Keith said. As the types of attacks have evolved beyond active shooters, Keith said the ALERRT program adjusts to those changes. “That’s really what makes ALERRT stand out from other organizations and programs that o er active shooter training,” Keith said. “Ours is research-based. It’s constantly evolving, and we’re always updating our curriculum to make sure that we’re staying ahead of the game.”
ALERRT is funded through a mixture of state and federal funding, but the majority of ALERRT’s funding comes from a Community Oriented Polic- ing Services program, Keith said. As ALERRT has grown, the program has also developed nancial partnerships in other states, he said. While it costs money to provide trainings, ALERRT doesn’t charge organizations. To help execute classes and continue research, o cials are constantly looking for grants and new funding sources to expand the number of courses the program provides, Keith said.
Through regional managers and more than 300 adjunct instructors, ALERRT training has been delivered across all 50 states in the U.S., Keith said. While it’s hard to quantify the number of people the courses have a ected, Keith estimated over 300,000 people have directly bene ted from the program. “That number continues to grow,” Keith said. “We’re putting on 3,000 classes ... every year.”
Caring for in every phase of life you ARC Ob/Gyn is here to support you by providing care for your reproductive health. Available near you at ARC Center Street.
• Prenatal • Delivery
• Postpartum • Annual exams
• Birth control • And more!
austinregionalclinic.com/services/obstetrics-gynecology
17
SAN MARCOS BUDA KYLE EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook