On Tuesday night, the participants of the 2015 Citizens’ Police Academy attended the last class of the series.
To start the evening, Lt. Troy Nedegaard provided information and training on how to survive an active shooter event. The ALERRT Center at Texas State University has developed law enforcement and civilian training programs based on their Avoid. Deny. Defend. strategy which “provides strategies, guidance and a proven plan for surviving an active shooter event”. Simply put, if you’re ever confronted with an active shooter, you have three options: Avoid or get yourself as far away from the shooter as possible; if you can’t get away, Deny or prevent the shooter from entering the place where you’ve hidden or are stuck; and finally, if necessary, Defend yourself with any weapon you can muster!
After this presentation, Assistant Chief Rob Abraham provided a brief synopsis of Community Policing Approach; how it defines much of the mission of the La Crosse Police Department; and the numerous programs we have that are based on this including the DARE, GREAT, and Neighborhood Response Officer programs, and much more!
To round out the Citizens’ Police Academy lessons, members of the La Crosse Police Reserve volunteer unit presented information on the Reserve program and how it helps the La Crosse Police Department to complete its mission in the community. Of the many ways the Police Reserves serve our community, they spend much of their volunteer time assisting Operation River Watch; providing traffic control for large events; and attending various community events to interact with our citizens. They also provided information on how to join the Reserve Unit.
Last, Chief Ron Tischer and Lt. Nedegaard hosted a short graduation ceremony. Congratulations to all 21 participants of the 2015 Citizens’ Police Academy!
La Crosse PD Newsroom 