MANITOWOC (NBC 26) — Departments from around Northeast Wisconsin meet for active shooter training.
- More than two dozen departments met in Manitowoc for hands-on active shooter training.
- Jeremy Weber of Manitowoc PD said it's unlike training he's ever been through.
- Law enforcement says if you see something, say something.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
Whether it was in Madison last year or another mass shooting in recent history, the horrifying scenes have shocked us all. Manitowoc was the meeting point for more than two dozen departments as they trained for a day they hope never comes.
60 officers dealt with a simulated active shooter.
Captain Cooper Schmidt of the Manitowoc Police Department and his team were the first to make contact with the simulated assailant.
It was just one half hour of exercise in a three-day training event.
"This is our worst scenario in law enforcement. It really is,” said Schmidt.
The Manitowoc Police Department was one of 26 departments taking part.
"In the event of this large-scale incident, we all have to work together,” Manitowoc Tactical Instructor Jeremy Weber said. “But we never get to train together."
Weber says the hands-on training brings the departments together in a brand new way.
"In my 18 years, this is the first time I've been involved in something that's not a conference,” Weber said.
From Howard to Sheboygan. From paramedics to sergeants. Each could be called at any moment to any community.
"I'm not familiar with people that would be responding from Green Bay or Brown County, Sheboygan County, Sheboygan,” Schmidt said. “It's nice to have a process in place, we're all on the same page, and we're all working off the same sheet of music."
Law enforcement here says that the first step is community involvement. If you see something, say something. They referenced the threats made at Manitowoc Roncalli this week and thanked the community for coming forward.
