Falls Twp. Police Talk Active Shooter Warning Signs, Upcoming Drill

Local police are preparing for a large scale active shooter drill in April.

In preparation for the drill, the Falls Township Police Department hosted a town hall style meeting Monday night in the Falls Township complex. Throughout the meeting, Lt. Nelson Whitney gave a presentation on the types of people who typically become the gunman in active shooter situations. In addition, Whitney explained the signs people can look for ahead of incidents.

Noticing someone on a path of violence is key in preventing the shootings and other attacks. The path of violence is usually started by an individual holding onto a grievance and having the idea fester, according to Whitney’s presentation. In addition, people who might be at risk for becoming violent exhibit isolation, writing farewells and abruptly changing behavior.

For use within the drill, an active shooter means someone within an isolated space who is intent on harming other individuals, even if they are using other means such as knives to cause the harm.

The drill, which will be held at Charles Boehm Middle School in April will take place on a day where the district has off of school. There will be no live weapons, and the role of students will be played by students who volunteer to help first responders. Whitney indicated that the drill will be more for the police to test their response than it is for the kids, who will be following a script.

Most shooting incidents are over in minutes, however, with the incident being over before or just as police show up to the scene. Police said its important to prevent these incidents from ever happening to save lives.

“The most realistic way to prevent these things is to hold meetings like this one,” Whitney said.

The most important thing for parents to know in an emergency situation is to not come to the school. In active shooter cases, a specified rendezvous point is set up, which is where parents can meet their children. According to the presenters, when parents show up to the scene, they can crowd and distract from the real problem of stopping additional harm from the attacker.

The upcoming active shooter drill will be the first large scale drill in the Pennsbury School District in recent years. School board member Jacqui Redner has pushed for a similar drill in the district for years during public meetings.

Another meeting, similar to the one on Monday, will be held in the same place, the Falls Township complex, on March 13 at 4 p.m. That meeting will be recorded and played on the Falls Township, Pennsbury and other local television channels.