Augusta University Police Department hosted a public safety training event at University Hall on Summerville Campus on Friday, Sept. 2.
This training covered how to respond in an active shooter situation, ways to report concerning behavior and how police response to such a situation.
Waylon Potts, Augusta University Police Department lieutenant in the Investigations Unit, says the main goal of these training events is to expand relationships between campus police and university faculty so the latter will know how respond in these types of situations.
“We have a great collaborative working relationship and I think that is the most important thing. We want to expand that relationship beyond police and emergency management, but also to those that are responsible for buildings or certain classes or events, so we can open up that line of communication so if there is a concern or issue, maybe we can address it ahead of time,” Potts said.
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According to the presentation during the training, there were 40 active shooter incidents, 38 people killed and 126 wounded in 2020. In 2021, there were 61 incidents, 103 people killed and 140 wounded.
“We’re seeing an increase in the incidents and also seeing a lot of time that the results are worse,” Potts said. “Any loss of life or any injury is not acceptable, but when we start seeing large amounts of lives lost and people injured, it is incumbent upon us to do everything we can from a preparation standpoint, if we can prevent, and if we can’t, mitigate what that damage might be and have people prepared to respond.”
Presenters said a study found that 81% of attackers told one person about their plan and 60% told multiple people.
Potts explained the importance of telling someone if you are concerned about someone’s behavior.
“If you got someone that you’re concerned about, it doesn’t have to necessarily be the police, but you can tell a supervisor,” Potts said during the presentation. “If we are starting to recognize certain patterns of behavior that are concerning, we have got to say something.”
The AU Police Department will host four more trainings throughout the month of September around campus.
Chris Rickerson is a staff reporter covering Columbia County government and general assignment topics for The Augusta Press. Reach him at chris@theaugustapress.com.
