DORAL, Fla. – Police held a large-scale shooting drill Wednesday morning to better prepare for a potential mass shooting.
The training exercise, which took place at CityPlace Doral, was designed to mimic a mass casualty event.
Police said they went through great lengths to make the drill as realistic as possible. The drill began with a mock shooter firing blanks and several actors posing as victims before officers arrived and assessed the situation.
“We’re not safe in this community just by coincidence. We’re safe because we practice, we’re safe because we train,” said Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez.
Officers were seen simulating a mass shooting inside a busy shopping center and a movie theater.
As the simulated shooting started, victims were seen running out of a nearby business.
Several officers arrived within seconds ready to confront the simulated shooter while also looking for potential victims.
Doral police led the exercise along with several other law enforcement agencies and paramedics from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
Officials say the purpose of the training is to evaluate the emergency capabilities of first responders, as well as to develop new plans and strategies to track down a mass shooter.
“We are in an era where we cannot delay the response, we are not in a position to negotiate or to dialogue with an active shooter. Our officers are trained to neutralize the threat immediately, said Lopez.
Lopez is urging other departments to go through the training to be more prepared for an active shooting situation.
“You look at incidents across the country, whether in a movie theater, whether in a school, whether in a concert. it seems to be that a critical incident could happen anytime anyplace,” he said.