School districts across the state have received a training video on school safety developed by the Attorney General’s Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) and intended to arm administrators, teachers, and school employees with knowledge should they ever face a school shooting crisis.
The video, "School Shootings: How to be Aware, Prepare, and be a First Responder in a Crisis," was sent to all Ohio school districts in April. It is identical to the in-person training that OPOTA began offering to educators around the state in January. Dozens of trainings have been held, drawing more than 4,000 participants. About 40 more sessions are scheduled before the end of the year.
"Quite frankly, I hope it's knowledge no one in Ohio will ever have to use from this day forward," Attorney General Mike DeWine said. "But the reality is, if there's a school shooting, teachers, principals, janitors, and others who work in that school become first responders. Our goal is to help them plan, train, and prepare with the help of local law enforcement partners."
The in-person training and video highlight what authorities have learned about shooters in prior incidents, such as those at Chardon High School, Columbine High School, and Virginia Tech University. The course also covers how to identify potential threats and reduce the danger of deadly escalation, how to school administrators and law enforcement should coordinate in the face of a real-time threat, and most importantly, how to save lives.
Attorney General DeWine encourages law enforcement and school personnel to coordinate when attending the course or showing the video.
Dave Phalen, who is in his 13th year as Fairfield County’s sheriff, said although law enforcement is knowledgeable about many of the concepts discussed in the training, his deputies gained insight into warning signs of troubled students and benefited from talking with school officials. He encouraged law enforcement around the state to “take time out to be part of this.”
“We all came away with a better understanding of the profiles of some of the people who historically have been responsible for school shootings,” he said. “It also helps to build relationships.”
Phalen’s department has been involved in the development of school safety plans in his county, and the collaboration is valuable, he said, adding, “I think we’ll be seeing more of that in the future.”
Law enforcement officers and educators can contact OPOTA with questions about the video or in-person training by e-mailing
AskOPOTA@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov or calling 740-845-2700.
Two clips from the training video can be seen below:
School Shootings: How to be Aware, Prepare, and be a First Responder in a Crisis: Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine
School Shootings: How to be Aware, Prepare, and be a First Responder in a Crisis: James Burke