Capitol Police Chief David Erwin presented training to cadets and adult members of the Civil Air Patrol's Madison Composite Squadron on how to respond to an active shooter at their March 14 meeting. Chief Erwin presented three similar models of response endorsed by law enforcement – "Avoid, Deny, Defend" (ADD), "Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter-attack, Evacuate" (ALICE), and "Run, Hide, Fight." Members present were advised to be aware of their surroundings and get away as soon as possible. If unable to get away, members were told to try to prevent shooters from getting to them by blocking access, locking doors, hiding, and, as a last resort, fight back. Chief Erwin emphasized that the time to get away is right away and to call 911 as soon as possible giving as much factual information as possible. He said that, when calling 911, if one doesn't know the answer to a question, not to guess, but to give as much information as is known for fact. This presentation was part of the squadron's on-going safety training.

David Erwin has been Chief of the Capitol Police in Madison since 2012, is a veteran of the US Marine Corps and has presented this same training statewide. He pointed out, "The world we live in has changed," and encouraged members to always be aware of their surroundings and let authorities know when something doesn't look right or someone is where they don't belong. He said that when threatened, people should develop a plan of how to escape, protect themselves and to have a backup plan. "The will to survive is the best tool you have." Deputy Commander and Safety Officer, Maj. David Vriezen, told members, "You are responsible for your own safety," encouraging members to be proactive in ensuring their own safety.

Nationally, Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 57,000 members nationwide. CAP performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 90 lives in fiscal year 2008. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 22,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for 67 years. For more information, visit members.gocivilairpatrol.com.