Hattiesburg police department train for active shooter

HATTIESBURG, Miss - Law enforcement practiced an active shooting drill at the University of Southern Mississippi as part of their yearly training.

Lt. Jon Traxler says, "One that we are actively training in order to keep ourselves active in any type of situation that may arise."

Today's training was specifically for the department's specialy team, STAR, which encompasses fifteen highly trained police officers.

Law enforcement, fire department, and local agencies, prepped for an active shooter on campus, in which some of the training entailed snipers and first responders.

"Well that is one thing that I love about my job, we do train here. One of our big things we do is training. We train at least six times a year with standard training and any other specialty training the department is willing to send us to" Lt. Traxler says.

Big local institutions like Forrest General Hospital, send a map of their business to the Hattiesburg Police Department in order for officers to respond in an effective and efficient manner.

The drill shows that practice is the key to public safety.