TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — At the start of this semester, the Troy University Police Department (TUPD) released its guidance for what students should do during a school shooting.
The plan is called run, hide, fight, and aims to teach students, faculty, and staff what to do in case of an active threat on campus.
“First and foremost, if you hear gunfire, you would want to find yourself an escape route of some sort,” TUPD Chief George Beaudry said. “It’s going to depend on the proximity of the gunfire. If it’s anywhere near you, you have to evaluate whether to run, hide, or fight. A decision has to be made on where you are when you hear the gunfire and how close it is to you.”
According to Beaudry, plans for an active shooter drill have been in the works with Troy University’s administration for months.
“There are conversations that have taken place between myself and the administration about an active shooter drill,” Beaudry said. “We are working on that and we think it’s important.
“There’s no specific timeline on it right now because there are a lot of preparations that have to be done before then. We have to some documentation of the plan first. If we were to exercise tomorrow, I think we would be a little premature just because the plan isn’t fully set in stone.”
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Even though the plans for an active shooter aren’t ready, Beaudry says TUPD is.
“When it comes to the active shooter or mass casualty type drill our officers are practicing more than once a year on how to respond to these situations,” Beaudry said. “A major piece of the puzzle is knowing that our officers are prepared.”
Even though there is no timeline on an active shooter drill, students are still encouraged to follow run, hide, fight if the situation arises.
For emergencies, people can contact TUPD at 911. For non-emergencies, people are asked to call (334) 670-3215.
More information about Run. Hide. Fight. can be found on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) website.
