Strongsville Police Train for Active Shooters

The former Allen School building is getting one last workout before the wrecking crews come in.

Strongsville police used the building this week for training — specifically for Single Officer Response to Active Threat training.

Deputy Chief Mark Fender said the sessions simulate a situation in which an officer has to deal with an active shooter in a public place like a mall or a school.

"You may be the only person and you have to go in," Fender said.

The officers used "simunition" gear, including their regular duty rifles loaded with plastic-tipped, paint-filled bullets, according to Officer Brian Vlna, who is on the Southwest Enforcement Bureau's SWAT team.

The bullets pack such a wallop that every officer helping with the training by playing the bad guy spent the week with abrasions on their arms and hands. 

"These guys are willing to go the extra mile to make sure everyone gets trained," Fender said.

The Strongsvile police last year trained teachers and staff in every school building how to handle an active shooter, starting with evacuating or, in that's not possible, barricading kids in a room and ultimately attacking the shooter.

The school district plans to start demolishing Allen School in September, but Business Manager Mark Donnelly offered the building to Strongsville police for training before the work starts.