Clark County Sheriff's deputies complete yearly school shooter training

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- Inside Riverside Elementary this week, Clark County deputies maneuvered hallways and practiced skills they hope to never use.

The skills relate to stopping a shooter inside of a school building.

"It's what's needed," said Chief Deputy Scottie Maples. "This one area we need to be well trained on. Hopefully we never have to use this training, but this is something we need to be very good at."

Deputies are trained on practical applications like entering rooms and clearing those rooms. They also practice moving through the hallways tactfully and communicating with each other.

Every year, all deputies are required to do take part in active shooter training. The deputies take part in the three-day practice at a different Clark County school each year.

"The training is in depth," Maples said. "If there's two police officers and one of them gets shot, you leave him. You go after the threat. He has to fend for himself because there's kids in those schools."

This year's training comes less than two months following a deadly shooting in Uvalde, Texas and numerous other tragedies at schools across the country in the last several years.

Maples says while these events are horrific and inexcusable, law enforcement has to be prepared to face the worst.

"I want Clark County to know if there's a tragedy that happens like this, our officers will be going through those doors," he said.