Law Enforcement Ready for the Worst: “We Run Toward Gunfire Not Away from It”

The mass shooting that killed 14 people at a holiday party in San Bernardino, California has been the talk of the nation.

Area law enforcement says if tragedy strikes, they are ready to take an active shooter situation head on.

The growing list of mass shootings in our nation has made the possibility of it happening anywhere; at any time more of a reality.

Here in the metro, law enforcement says they’re ready.

“These tragic events that are happening across the nation are something that we have been planning for,” said Lt. Tory Jacobson of Moorhead Police.

Mock active shooter exercises like the one law enforcement held at Davies High School back in August is one of the ways they are staying two steps ahead.

“Every law enforcement here in our region is trained on the exact same tactic, so that way if brown shows up, and blue is going in the door. Brown and blue mixed together we go inside, and we go work,” said Sgt. Tim Briggeman of the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

When it comes to active shooter situation, law enforcement on both sides of the river say there will be no hesitation when it comes to an immediate response.

“When the window of opportunity is there, I’m not going to let it pass. I’m going. Sheriff always says and the whole office is a firm believer on the fact that we are the ones that run toward gunfire not going to run away from it,” said Briggeman.

Both agencies also stressed that training and working together as a unit are how they can avoid and fix any room for error if such a tragedy were to happen.

“Fill in the gaps, flow together, and bring those resources together is so important for a critical incident such as this,” said Jacobson.

According to a list done by Reddit, there have been more than 360 people in the U.S. who have been injured or killed in mass shootings this year.