Middle Georgia sheriffs say agencies prepare for active shooter incidents

A deadly shooting such as the one in California this week can happen anywhere at any time, and Middle Georgia law enforcement agencies make it no secret they have to be prepared.

Fourteen people were killed and more than 20 others wounded in a mass shooting Wednesday in San Bernardino, California. It is the latest in a string of mass shootings across the country in recent years.

Bibb County Sheriff David Davis, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills and Houston County Sheriff Cullen Talton all said Thursday that law enforcement agencies must have the equipment, personnel and strategies in place to effectively deal with the possibility of a similar tragedy in the midstate.

"Here, locally, we have to be prepared for it," said Sills, who noted he's had his deputies training for such situations long before the term "active shooter" was coined.

"Police officers all over this country need to be armed. Every Putnam County deputy sheriff has both a shotgun and a rifle," he said.

Davis said his agency's SWAT and bomb disposal units are always training and running through scenarios, whether it's active training at the firing range or sitting around a table and talking about how to respond in different scenarios.

"Were we to have something like that here in Macon and Bibb, we have a very robust response capability with our SWAT, with our tactical, as well as with the training that we give our officers for active shooters and how to deal with these type of situations," Davis said.

To demonstrate that preparedness, Davis gave media representatives a look Thursday at the SWAT team's armored vehicle. AT the event, deputies fired off some high-powered weapons at the firing range, and the SWAT team ran through an active shooter scenario.

Davis said he plans to have all his deputies take a refresher active-shooter course since they would be the first responders on such incidents.

Talton echoed that law enforcement officers can never have enough training.

He said his deputies train with security officers at Robins Air Force Base and take advantage of training offered at the Guardian Centers simulated city in Perry.

Talton also emphasized the need for law enforcement agencies to share resources and work hand-in-hand with each other.

"The FBI, the local and everybody else has got to work together and share information and call people in if we need them," Talton said. "We're living in bad times."

Sills called for a declaration of war from Congress against terrorists and was critical of President Barack Obama, whom Sills said has put an end to local law enforcement being able to purchase surplus armored vehicles from the military.

He said smaller agencies like his do not have the resources to make such purchases.

For members of the public who might get caught in an active-shooter situation, Davis offered this advice: Run first, hide, and then, if left with no other option, fight.

"Get away, try to look and see as much what you can see to be a witness that can contact law enforcement, call for help, call 911 ... and then hide," he said. "If someone comes in and you're confronted, do whatever you think you can do to save yourself or to save another person."

To contact writer Becky Purser, call 256-9559, or find her on Twitter@becpurser.

This story was originally published December 3, 2015 at 6:54 PM with the headline "Middle Georgia sheriffs say agencies prepare for active shooter incidents ."