Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers training for active shooter situations at former MRC

Over the months of March and April, troopers with the Missouri State Highway Patrol will take part in a new type of active shooter training at the former Missouri Rehabilitation Center, now commonly referred to as 600 North Main.
The new training is geared towards preparing troopers for what they should do if they are in an active shooter situation while off-duty.
“It’s an active threat, active shooter training geared towards understanding that you could be involved in this situation while in an off-duty capacity,” said Sgt. John Lueckenhoff of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. “But we’re not training for responding as an on-duty officer. We’re training for a better understanding of what to do while you’re off-duty, if you were involved in a situation.”
Various training sessions will be held over March and April. Each session lasts one eight-hour day, and consists of a few hours of classroom training, followed by troopers going through multiple practical scenarios.
Lueckenhoff also said the training will help troopers better serve the public because it helps them know what to do in situations in which they might not normally find themselves.
“A police officer or a trooper is still a police officer or a trooper 24 hours a day,” he said. “Typically, officers focus their training on on-duty skills, so this training will give officers a more comprehensive idea of how they can serve the citizens and protect themselves while in an off-duty status.”