With one of the deadliest shootings in United States history occurring this past Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. — and a gun threat on Ohio University's campus on the same day — Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle spoke about how his department would handle such a situation.
“Because of our limited resources, we are all about the preparation and training,” Pyle said. “It’s ‘all hands on deck’ when something like that happens.”
While he hasn’t looked at how the police handled the situation in Connecticut, most departments are trained to handle an active shooter situation as such, Pyle said.
Pyle listed many reasons as to why these mass shootings might occur, ranging from media response and portrayal; violence in video games, movies, and music; social networking and a lack of social skills.
“There are too many facets to address,” Pyle said. “There is no single answer or cause. It’s a culmination of many different things, as each different component plays a part. You could raise any number of issues, and find the connection to tie it to violence.”
Pyle said the department focuses its training on the response aspect of an active shooter situation. But he also said community involvement is essential to help prevent crimes so there doesn’t have to be a response.
“Clearly, the issue at hand isn’t how to respond,” Pyle said. “The issue is how to prevent these things from happening. That’s where the focus needs to be.”
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