June 15, 2022
Preparing for the worst
Around Town
Two thrift shops in St. Charles County rely on the generosity of the community to help neighbors in need. Pg. 4
Healthy Living Why you shouldn’t skip your annual wellness exam. Pg. 5
School WSD graduates awarded over $112,000 in community scholarships. Pg. 7
Features
Photo by Nathan Porter Police officers from different departments across St. Charles County participate in Multi-Assault, Counter Terrorism Action Capabilities training to respond to an active shooter situation.
Police officers across St. Charles County have been trained in the Multi-Assault, Counter Terrorism Action Capabilities program By Brett Auten It is a sad state of affairs, but it is the world in which we live. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the number of active shooter incidents across the United States increased more than 50% in 2021 compared to a year before and those incidents resulted in the highest number of deaths since 2017, the FBI said in a report last month. In St. Charles County, all officers and law enforcement agencies in the county have been trained in Multi-Assault, Counter Terrorism Action Capabilities, or MAC-
TAC, a program that is used throughout the country. St. Charles County Police Chief Kurt Frisz said selected individuals from every agency in the county went through instructor training first and then those 25 began training every officer – more than 650 – in the county. While the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team often assists in these types of incidents, it was found that in the case of an active shooter, SWAT Teams are often too late to be effective. Training all officers ensures that any first responding officer knows how to react to the situation. The training is intense.
Gunshots boom out of loudspeakers and the blanks that are loaded inside the guns crack. Room lights are flickering and smoke is pumped into the hallways. The manpower for the training is extensive and makes for 10-to-12-hour days for those involved. The training involves multiple sections, including the initial outside movement to interior movement and positioning. “We place trainees in a variety of scenarios and make it as real as possible to make certain we can stop an active shooter in any situation,” Frisz said. But it is all worth it. See ‘PREPARING’ page 2
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