By Suzie Ziegler
BOULDER, Colo. — Normally, Folsom Field at CU Boulder is where you can catch the latest college football matchup. But last week, it was police snipers who took the field of play.
According to 9News, police snipers from Colorado, Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., descended on the stadium for a three-day, live-ammo crisis response training event. The officers learned how to better keep large crowds safe during an active shooter event, according to the report. The football stadium provided a realistic venue for a worst-case scenario.
Carissa Jaquish, public safety manager for CU Boulder Police Department, says police have a need for more live scenario training. Last year’s mass shooting at a Boulder supermarket demonstrated the importance of preparation, Jaquish told 9News.
“As we review active harmer incidents across the nation and then also knowing firsthand our community in Boulder has been impacted, we see the need for more real world, live scenario training,” said Jaquish. “It’s really important that [the snipers] practice here as well because they’re here doing game days.”
The training was run by Tacflow Academy, a company that holds various firearms training courses for police, military personnel and citizens. Mark Lang, Tacflow’s sniper training director, says the course helps officers make better decisions.
“This is just an extension of reality-based training,” Lang told 9News. “We really need to strive for making sure we’re constantly looking at what can we do to protect the public when they come to big venues like this.”
NEXT: The argument for the modular police sniper rifle
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