Sheriff office focused on safety as new school year approaches
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (Aug. 7, 2023) – Tuscarawas County’s sheriff is letting everyone know what his office has been doing to prepare for any safety threats that might arise in the new school year and what can be done to prevent them.
Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s deputies practice trauma care techniques during their ALERRT training.
Orvis Campbell says every sheriff’s deputy went through an intensive training program over the summer called ALERRT, which is considered the national standard for responding to active threats at schools, businesses, and outdoor spaces.
“The training is designed to give all law enforcement regardless of your level of experience the same sort of tactics to act quickly and end an emergency and to not only stop somebody from killing others but to stop people from dying who have been wounded.”
Deputy Lincoln Troyer became a certified instructor for the program and led the training alongside representatives from the FBI and other area law enforcement agencies. Campbell says his office has also spent thousands of dollars on specialized gear and equipment and will be revising its dispatch policies to get help to where it’s needed sooner.
Sheriff’s deputies practice their response to active threats at schools and other public spaces.
“This is a big county – nearly 600 square miles – and we need every second if something big happens.” Campbell emphasized the importance of early intervention in preventing tragedies like the ones that have unfolded elsewhere in the country, citing a recent incident where a student at West Geauga High School averted a shooting by turning in a bullet he found in a bathroom.
“The public needs to know that we’re only going to be truly effective if we all work together, and they have to trust the process that it’s not just about an arrest. It’s about finding out what’s wrong, removing weapons from people that shouldn’t have them, and getting people the help they need before they do something tragic.”
The tip and surveillance video led authorities to an individual with multiple loaded guns and a plan to shoot up the school. The student who spoke up received the first-ever National Hero award from the Uvalde Foundation For Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to ending school violence.