It was an unsettling scene at Clarendon CISD. Outside were about a dozen vehicles from the Texas Department of Public Safety. Inside were a dozen or more armed people with live rounds being fired.
Fortunately, this was just a training exercise the week of July 18. Everyone present was either a law enforcement officer or an official observer, and the live rounds were soap bullets – non-lethal but still attention-getting if they strike someone.
The Solo Officer Response Deployment (SORD) training course taught by the DPS is designed to equip a single off-duty officer in plain clothes with the skills and mindset on how to neutralize an active shooter in a variety of settings, including a school, according to DPS spokesperson Sgt. Cindy Barkley.
Officers were trained in both classroom work and active scenarios, including live-fire range scenarios. Observers included District Judge Stuart Messer, Justices of the Peace Pat White and Sarah Hatley, and Enterprise publisher Roger Estlack.
Everyone present during the training donned protective gear and were able to experience some simulation of the stress associated with an active shooter situation.
Upon completion of the SORD training, law enforcement officers receive 16 hours of Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) credit as well as a certificate.
To date, the DPS has completed three courses at Clarendon ISD which included officers from DPS and the Armstrong County Sheriff’s Office, Barkley reported.
The courses were taught by DPS officers who have been certified to teach Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) through Texas State University.
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