Hays County Constable teaches response to shooter events
In a coordinated effort, both the Hays County Office of Emergency Services and the Precinct 4 Constables Office are presently conducting Citizen Response in Active Shooter Events training at various locations in Hays County.
The free, one-hour, condensed CRASE course is an ongoing outreach by both agencies to educate civilians on survival skills — should they ever find themselves in a situation with an active shooter. CRASE is based on Advance Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training, which was a response to the Columbine High School Incident in 1999.
The Hays County classes are taught by Pct. 4 Constable Deputy David Graham. Graham was the Dallas Police tactical incident commander when the DPD was ambushed by a sniper in 2016, and he was also the tactical incident commander in the June 2015 assault on Dallas Police HQ by use of an armored vehicle.
“I can think of no one better qualified to do this training,” Pct. 4 Constable Ron Hood said. “[Graham] has actual experience in an active shooter situation and has led several high-profile units in Dallas including SWAT, Explosive Ordnance, and Special Events Division — which coordinated with the Secret Service on Presidential and Vice-Presidential visits.”
“I’m going to take you to some dark places tonight in an effort to get you thinking about how you should react to such an event,” Graham said as he began his presentation at the Fifth Annual Hays County Emergency Preparedness Fair on Sept. 10. “In other countries where street shootings are more common, the people there are quicker to react because they know what’s happening and accept it. Here [in the United States], we go through a period of denial and then assessment. This slows down our reaction time and lessens our chance of survival. By thinking about the situation now, and giving you some survival strategies, I hope to quicken your reaction time should you ever find yourself in such a situation.”
“On average, it takes three minutes for law enforcement to respond to an active shooter event, but that’s [on the city level],” he continued. “With a larger area like Hays County with many rural areas, it can take up to seven to ten minutes. What you do during those minutes is critical.”
The CRASE presentation is available to civilian groups, including schools, businesses, civic organizations, faith-based organizations, or others. This presentation includes video and audio from previous active shooter events and, though not graphic, may not be suitable for everyone.
For more information, or to schedule a CRASE training class for your organization, email david. [email protected] or call (512) 858-7605.
Currently, Hays County CRASE training is scheduled at the following locations:
• Sept. 15, 6 p.m.
400 Sportsplex Drive, Dripping Springs
• Oct. 20, 6 p.m.
200 Stillwater Road, Wimberley
• Nov 17, 6 p.m.
810 S. Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos
• Dec 22, 6 p.m.
210 W Moore, Kyle
Constable Deputy David Graham explains the importance of quickly reacting to a perceived threat during his CRASE class at the Hays County Emergency Preparedness Fair on Sept. 10. PHOTO BY SUZANNE PACHECO.