FBI Las Vegas Offers Nevada Law Enforcement Agencies Training for Active Shooter Incidents

In May 2013, the FBI Las Vegas Division will host an “active shooter” conference and Public Safety Tabletop Exercise (TTX) in Northern Nevada. The training is designed to increase the collaboration and coordination among the area’s local, tribal, federal, and state law enforcement partners with planning and preparation in the unlikely event that a mass casualty crisis arises in the state of Nevada. The ultimate goal is to work together to save lives.

Earlier this month, the FBI Las Vegas Division hosted the first active shooter conference in the state. The conference was attended by five local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies from Las Vegas, including the fire department and other emergency/public safety agencies.

The conference was followed by a TTX that enabled the seven participating public safety agencies to work together in a collaborative environment to more effectively respond in the event of an active shooter or mass casualty crisis.

This training is authorized under the Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012. The act gives federal law enforcement agencies the authority to assist in the investigation of violent acts and shootings in public places and in mass or attempted mass killings. Furthermore, Executive Order 3365-2013 assigned the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Education the responsibilities to lead law enforcement training and develop model emergency management plans (EMPs) for schools, institutions of higher learning, and houses of worship. As a result of the recent horrific and violent shooting incidents in Aurora, Colorado and Newtown, Connecticut, the White House developed a new training initiative that called for the Director of the FBI to implement a nationwide active shooter training program to assist all law enforcement agencies across the country.