Lockport Chamber, police team up on active shooter safety program

Lockport — The Lockport Chamber of Commerce will be hosting an informational luncheon March 20 to provide community members with strategies and guidance on what to do in case of an active shooter event.

The “Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events” luncheon will take place at Papa Joe’s Restaurant at 944 E. Ninth St. in Lockport and feature a presentation by Lockport Police Department Detective Chris Neyhart.

The course will focus on the “avoid, deny, defend” strategy developed in 2004 by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training team to help civilians create strategies to survive an active shooter situation.

Other topics of the luncheon will include the history and prevalence of active shooter events, civilian response options, medical issues and considerations for conducting local drills.

“Unfortunately, an active shooter situation could arise at any moment, whether in a business setting or your everyday personal life,” Lockport Chamber Executive Director Annette Parker said. “Knowing your options and understanding how to quickly assess the situation could be the difference between life and death.”

Although Lockport police have been hosting these presentations for schools and other businesses in recent years, this is the first time the Chamber is hosting an event of this kind. Parker said the idea came from discussions the Chamber had with the police department about what topics might interest or affect residents and business owners.

“The Chamber reached out to us and asked for a speaker, and we thought about topics that might be good for businesses,” Lockport Police Deputy Chief Ron Huff said. “In the past we have done things with businesses on avoiding fraud or scams, but this time we thought to offer our CRASE training.”

Huff said that the police have a program where they come into local businesses, examine the layout, and work with owners to create emergency plans in cases of workplace violence before training the employees.

“The Chamber event will not be the full class, but it will cover some of the basics,” Huff said. “We want to get information out and let businesses know that this is a service we offer if they want to set up a session for their employees.”

The luncheon will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and attendees must register in advance. The cost is $30 for Chamber members and $35 for nonmembers. Reservations must be made on the Chamber website by Monday, March 18. They also can be made by phone at 815-838-3357.