Active shooter training prepares ODOC CLEET Academy students for “worst case scenario”

OKLAHOMA CITY – It looks and sounds very realistic, but this is a specialized training exercise to combat an active shooter.

“It’s real,” Correctional Officer Mason Rempe said. “It is as real as we can make it in this situation.”

“Law Enforcement Active Shooter Emergency Response” or LASER, is taught by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

Nineteen students from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections CLEET Academy endured the stress-inducing exercise this week.

“We actually try to get them stressed out while they’re doing that training,” OHP Trainer Matthew Krupczyk said. “It makes it more realistic so when they operate in the real world, they have experience in those conditions.”

Oklahoma City MetroTech has a new, state-of-the-art facility for law enforcement to practice. It’s a labyrinth of doors, hallways, and stairs leading to the unknown.

“As they go down, they have to make assessments on open doors, closed doors, whether they’re driving to a threat,” Krupczyk said. “Once they get to a destination, they have to address the threat, manage the occupants, and treat the wounded.”

It’s unpredictable, evolving rapidly, and meant to prepare officers both physically and mentally.

“It gets the blood pumping a little bit,” correctional officer Madelyn Escojido said.

Respond, assess, and take control when seconds count. This is invaluable training that officers hope they’ll never need to use in a real-life scenario.