Western Iowa police get special training for shootings

Law officers in western Iowa are taking advantage of some federal funding to get some specialized training. Sioux City police lieutenant Mel Williams says the program is called “Law enforcement Response to the Active Shooter.”It’s training in how to handle a situation in which a shooting is in progress. Williams says it could involve a school or workplace shooting. It’s a response to the Columbine school shooting, but he says it can also be used for a workplace shooting.Williams says the initial funding will be used to train instructors.The people who become instructors will teach other officers in Sioux City and the surrounding area how to respond to such incidents. Williams says the training will also educate officers on the tools they need to respond to such a situation.The training may make the department decide they need to purchase different weapons or other specialized equipment to deal with a potential incident. The first training class will include 24 officers, 16 from Sioux City.