Police Team trains for worst-case scenarios

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - It looks like a scene out of a movie.   

Terre Haute's Special Response Team (SRT) filed into Honey Creek Mall.

The day's operation: several active shooter scenarios.  

This is one of many training sessions the team does throughout the year.

“You’re going to react the way you train. So, we want it to be as realistic as possible, because we want to identify what our problems are going to be," said SRT commander Shawn Keen.  "Is the radio not going to work in this building? Are we going to have problems with communications? Are we going to have problems with officers getting there at a certain time? We need to find out what those problems are now during training; we don’t repeat those problems should it happen to real lives.”

SRT Commander Shawn Keen is in the charge of the operation, and he has a team of experts for support. 

During the training, the officers respond at different times. Some respond as if on duty, others are called in.

“We set it up so they arrive at different times. We’re actually focusing on leadership. It won’t always be a commander or a sergeant or a lieutenant that shows up immediately. So, we want all our officers to be able to know what they need to do, and respond appropriately," said Commander Keen.  "[Chances] are, you’re not going to have time for every member of the team to be there in an active shooter situation, hostage situation. The first few minutes are going to be critical. And we want to make sure all our guys know exactly what they need to do at all times, regardless of what their position is within the team."

The team strives for peaceful resolution using negotiators.   

Unfortunately, they're not always that lucky, so they want to be prepared.

“We try to change things up, so they can encounter everything in practice. So if they have to do it in real life--and I hope they never do--they’ll be prepared for that,” said Commander Keen.