LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Over 30 people have been hurt in mass shootings here in Georgia this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Another six have been killed.
Gwinnett County law enforcement agencies came together Saturday to sharpen their skills and to make sure that when serious emergencies happen, they are well-prepared to handle the situation.
The training is part of the practice plan.
“This is a continuation of our ongoing training for our court operations division. All throughout the year, we’ve been doing these exercises to help us respond to an active shooter threat at the courthouse," said Gwinnett County Sheriff Public Information Officer C.J. Releford.
Over 100 people, including volunteers, met up early Saturday morning to simulate an active shooter scenario at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville.
"You’ve got to realize in a real-life coordinated scenario, chaos is going to be everywhere. You’re going to have people injured, but it's important for law enforcement officers to respond in a coordinated manner," said Releford.
The training happens several times each year in the county and leaders shared it makes a big difference when they’re called out to actual emergencies.
"What we want the public to know is that this training saves lives. The same way that you go in and respond to a courthouse is the same way that you’re going to go in and respond to a domestic situation. Any type of arguments or God forbid a shooting at a school. This training saves lives because we make it as realistic as possible," said Releford.
The Gwinnett sheriff's office, police, fire and rescue, Lawrenceville Police and Gwinnett College Police were just some of the agencies that participated.