AC partners with ALERRT to facilitate regional active shooter training

Amarillo College (AC) is pleased to announce that in 2024 it will begin serving as the regional facilitator of newly state-mandated active shooter training for professional peace officers.

Officials of both AC and the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center signed a memorandum of understanding in November that establishes AC as a regional training hub.

ALERRT is a nationally recognized, researched-based, active attack training program founded and still headquartered at Texas State University, and its inaugural agreement with AC is for three years and comes in response to recent legislation enacted by the state of Texas.

“Senate Bill 1852 now requires all peace officers in Texas to receive active shooter training once every two years as part of their continuing education requirements,” said Eric Wallace, director of criminal justice programs. “Through this agreement, and thanks to the state’s line-item funding model for this mandatory training, ALERRT can provide it through our College to the region’s officers at no cost.

“ALERRT not only provides the instructors and all supplies,” he said, “but because the recruits in the Panhandle Regional Law Enforcement Academy at Amarillo College will also now be required to obtain this additional training during their academy experience, they too will be beneficiaries of this partnership.”

Since 2002, ALERRT has successfully delivered training across the nation with more than $136 million in federal and state funding. More than 303,928 state, local, and tribal first responders have received ALERRT training to date, all at no cost to first responders or agencies.

ALERRT has the capacity to deliver a wide range of classes in addition to Level I active shooter response training. It’s catalog features trainings that focus on improving agency integration during attack/shooter events, tactical medical responses, train-the-trainer certifications, and a lot more.

Beginning in 2024, interested parties throughout the general public will be able to affordably schedule related classes through AC that cover all the best practices dealing with shooter events, both as they unfold and in the aftermath.

“We are excited to partner with Amarillo College to establish a regional training center that helps meet the needs of the state of Texas,” said ALERRT Regional Manager Sam Stock. “The College has a proven track record of delivering peace officer training in compliance with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE), which is directly tied to the continuing education mandate of Senate Bill 1852.

“After incidents such as we’ve seen in recent times at El Paso and Uvalde, we know that no place is truly isolated from these types of incidents, and public interest in our programs is on the rise” he said. “Amarillo College is an excellent fit as we work together to empower peace officers, other first responders, and the public in this vital facet of public safety awareness, preparedness, and proactivity.”