Full Notification

Gurnee, IL – The Gurnee Police Department will be providing gun violence training sessions to residents through the remainder of 2012. In conjunction with neighborhood watch meetings, a 17 minute training video titled "Shots Fired! When Lightning Strikes" will be presented, followed by questions and discussion. This video is produced by the Center for Personal Protection and Safety, located in Spokane, Washington. It is designed to assist in how to recognize and survive an “active shooter” situation in the workplace, in a school or anywhere it may occur.

The Gurnee Police Department Policy and Procedure Manual defines active shooter as " One or more subjects who participate in a random or systematic shooting spree, demonstrating their intent to continuously harm others." The term was developed and used in law enforcement shortly after the Columbine High School incident in Littleton, Colorado in 1999. Unfortunately, since that time there have been several other widely publicized incidents involving active shooters, most recently the Sikh Temple shooting in Oak Creek, WI and the incident at the “Batman Rises” movie premier in Aurora, Colorado.

While your chances of encountering an active shooter situation are low, the Gurnee Police Department believes that persons who are able to recognize an active shooter situation and have planned beforehand how to respond, have a much greater likelihood of surviving such an incident than someone who has not.

A schedule of presentations can be found at www.gurnee.il.us/police/neighborhood_watch/schedule and the general public is invited. This is a must-see for anyone concerned about this important topic.

For more information, contact the police department’s crime prevention unit at 847-599-7080.