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PBC training for response to a mass shooting

Posted at 11:44 PM, Dec 02, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-02 23:44:15-05

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw says his agency is ready if an active shooter situation erupts in Palm Beach County.

"Sadly, I'm not really surprised about what happened in California. But this is really different this time than the normal active shooters," Bradshaw said.

Different because the California shooters had long guns and armor.

Bradshaw says he holds active shooter training about every three months.

They recently trained in an office building.

"Our speciality units have trained in every environment. Schools. Buildings. Cars. Airplanes. Buses. Trains. Regardless of what the environment is they have to go into, they can handle it," Bradshaw said.

The training scenarios are as real as it gets.

"What we learned many, many years ago with active shooters is the deputies and first responders have to take immediate action. They can't wait on special units. They have to get in there locate the shooters and neutralize them as fast as possible," Bradshaw said.

Sheriff Bradshaw has been in law enforcement forty four years and he says active shooters are something he never had to worry about earlier in his career.

"Not even twenty years ago did I think about this. It is just a sign of the times," Bradshaw said.

The sheriff's office also assists other agencies like school police with active shooter training.