Wal-Mart Partners With Texas State’s Active Shooter Awareness Program

By Adam M. Cook
Web Editor

The Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) center at Texas State University is teaming up with Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart employees will attend the “Avoid Deny Defend” (ADD) active shooter awareness program.

Steve Dozier, vice president of Wal-Mart’s Global Security, explained more about the program.

“The ALERRT program developed by Texas State University has quickly become the national training standard for law enforcement response to active shooter events,” Dozier said.

The purpose of this partnership is to support Wal-Mart associates and their communities. Due to the rise of active shooter events over the last decade, the main objective has been teaching law enforcement how to respond quicker in order to stop threats and save lives.

“For our associates, whether you work in a store, club, distribution center or home office your safety counts.  And being aware of what you can do matters,” Dozier said.

Wal-Mart’s ALERRT training starts out with an educational video, which is being made available to more than one million of the company’s U.S. associates. The video outlines the three-phase plan of action that outlines how to deal with an active shooter situation.

Avoid Deny Defend (ADD) is a civilian response plan that consists of three components. The first part, “Avoid(Danger),” focuses on being aware of surroundings and having a plan ahead of time in case an active shooter is present. This component also involves preparing an escape route.

The second component, “Deny or Deny Access,” involves finding ways to prevent an attacker from having access to associates and others. This is only necessary if avoidance is not an option.

The third and final component, “Defend Yourself,” reminds people that everyone has a right to defend themselves if they feel their life is in imminent danger. According to the program, this part is a last resort.

Fire and EMS have also been participating in this program in an effort to reduce their response time when dealing with emergencies. More than 60,000 law enforcement officers across the country have been trained by the ALERRT Center since 2002.

Find out more information on the “Avoid Deny Defend” program at: http://www.avoiddenydefend.org/