Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University in San Marcos to provide active shooter training to the state’s public school districts, according to a press release issued by the governor’s office.
The release said that Abbott, a Republican, wrote a letter to Dr. Pete Blair, ALERRT’s executive director, to initiate programs with a strong emphasis on school-based law enforcement.
A mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers on May 24.
“We sadly recognize we cannot do anything to bring back the precious lives that were taken; however, we must do everything in our power to prevent the same tragic ending from happening again,” Abbott said in the letter, per his office. “An important part of these prevention efforts must focus on the proper training of law enforcement and school administrators on how to respond when they face the threat of an active shooter on their campus. This vital training, which is delivered by veteran first responders with proven experience in active attack response and police training, will help law enforcement on school campuses better respond to these situations.”
According to Austin ABC affiliate KVUE, Abbott told Blair that ALERRT’s expertise can be beneficial.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) named the center the gold standard in active shooter response training about a decade ago after the events of Sandy Hook, KVUE reported.
ALERRT has served more than 200,000 first responders nationwide, the release said.
KVUE reported that the governor has asked the center to work with school administrators, law enforcement personnel and others tasked with ensuring school safety.
Abbott’s request occurred just days after he called for the creation of post-Uvalde special legislative committees, per the station.
Earlier this month, the governor wrote Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and State Rep. Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont), the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, to assemble committees that focus on school safety, mental health, social media, police training, firearm safety and other unspecified areas, Austin Journal reported.
Patrick, according to a Texas Tribune report that was ran by Lufkin ABC affiliate KTRE, called for $50 million in the state budget to purchase bulletproof shields for school police officers.
The lieutenant governor hopes that police in many schools have the equipment before the new academic year begins in the fall, per the report.
