A 31-year veteran of law enforcement, Mike Vick probably never thought some of his training would involve preparing for mass shooting incidents in schools, malls and churches. But that is exactly what he did this week.

“I hope and pray we never have to utilize this training in a real-world incident,” said Vick, a member of the Meridian Police Department. “But given the state of the society today we wouldn’t be very good at our jobs if we didn’t prepare for every possible contingency.”

The training Vick and scores of other officers from area agencies were participating in involved active shooter incidents. In short, an active shooter is someone who for no apparent reason walks into a place where there are a large number of people and starts shooting randomly.

The latest example of this type of incident occurred in Knoxville, Tenn., when a shotgun-wielding man opened fire at a Unitarian church during a children’s play. Two adults were killed and seven others were wounded before the suspect, 58-year old Jim Adkisson of Powell, Tenn., was overpowered by members of the congregation. No clear motive for the shooting has yet been established.

The two-day training session was implemented by the Department of Homeland Security and hosted by the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department and the Meridian Police Department. Officers and deputies from area agencies ranging from the Mississippi Highway Patrol to local school security attended the sessions, which were held last week at Southeast Lauderdale High School.

“This was a perfect time and place to hold the sessions because the students aren’t in school yet and we get to use a school as a training ground,” said Joseph Daughtry, a Jackson Police Department officer who is certified by the Department of Homeland Security to help teach the class. “We are trying to be proactive instead of reactive.”

At the core of the training is an emphasis on police officers and deputies who first arrive on the scene of an active shooter. Decisions must be made quickly and a system of action and communication must already be in place so the shooter can be brought under control with minimum loss of life.

“It is about establishing protocols on how to best handle the situation,” Daughtry said. “The more officers who go through the training, the better we’ll be in stopping the shooter and saving lives.”

A great deal of the training involves training scenarios in which the officers must learn to work together. Outside the high school, attendees worked on tactical situations, movement and communication so that although different agencies may be involved, everyone will be on the same page in terms of what their role is.

Inside the school hallways were covered in plastic sheets in preparation for live fire exercises. High powered paint ball guns were to be used by both the officers and the suspect. It is an effective tool used to better hone the skills of the officers.

Looking on, Duane Taylor, principal of Southeast Lauderdale High School, knows deep down a worst case scenario could happen. He was, however, somewhat comforted by the knowledge that area law enforcement personnel were getting this valuable training.

“It is a shame this type of training has to be conducted,” he said. “But given what is happening today in terms of mass shootings I’m glad to see them doing this. It makes me feel just a little better.”

“The bottom line is we are trying to save lives,” Vick added. “We have to be prepared as best we can because while other people are trying to get away from the gunfire, we are running toward it.”