Deputies Train for Worse-Case Scenario

The two day "active shooters" training course is designed to teach deputies and officers how to handle themselves if someone was to enter a local school with a weapon. It`s a scenario no one wants to see take place in real life-- gunmen running through the halls of our schools...but the memories of Columbine and recent school shootings are all too real. That`s why the Benton County Sheriff`s Office says being prepared is an unfortunate but necessary responsibility. "To not prepare for it is just to hide your head in the sand and say that it will never happen here. Hopefully it will never happen here but you can`t bet your life on it," said Deputy Doug Gay. Instructors from Texas State University taught deputies tactics and techniques in case a deadly situation ever presents itself. And to make sure it felt realistic, they used simmunition-- 30-caliber rounds loaded with paint that won`t kill you but will leave a mark. "How are you going to react if you happen to get shot in an arm or leg? Are you going to fall down and die or are you going to continue with the fight and try to neutralize that threat? God forbid it ever happens in Northwest Arkansas, but God forbid we don`t prepare for that. That`s essentially what this is all about, is that preparation, to give our deputies and officers at least a heads up."