The McAfee Gym building, located on the Eastern Illinois University campus, will be a training site for local law enforcement officers on Tuesday and Thursday, March 14 and 16.
Community residents are being advised that officers will be using blanks in various scenarios to simulate the sound of gunfire, according to EIU Police Chief Kent Martin.
Personnel from both the EIU and Charleston police departments will be involved in these joint training exercises that will include officers working in small groups to clear areas of the building as if they were responding to an active shooter or a report of an armed intruder. Afternoon sessions will include scenarios that may involve hostages, active threats and more, he added.
The training is taking place during the week of Spring Break, a time in which most students and many staff members are away from campus. Questions or concerns should be addressed to UPD at 581-3213.
