BAY MINETTE, Ala. (WPMI) The Alabama Department of Homeland Security has released a video instructing people on what to do in the event of a shooting like the one at a Connecticut elementary school.
Governor Robert Bentley asked the department to come up with the plan.
The video is graphic and it's meant to be that way. At the governor's request, the state's Director of Homeland Security, Spencer Collier asked all law enforcement to link the video to their websites or Facebook page.
Baldwin County's Sheriff said an active shooter in a public place or business is a new reality.
"What was inconceivable 10 years ago is real in today's climate so everybody should think through a plan if they were to have some type of an incident whether it be in a business, even in their own home, or as most recently a school," said Sheriff Huey Mack Jr.
The video was already in production before last month's school shooting in Connecticut. The goal here, says the sheriff, is to promote discussion and dialogue.
"It's a conversation we normally wouldn't have. You normally would not sit around the coffee pot at work and say 'What would we do if someone came in our lobby and fired a weapon?' It should be dicussed of how they would handle that and have a plan. You know we have fire alarms in building, we have fire extinguishers in buildings, unfortunately if you look back, how many people have been killed by fire in a public building recently versus how many have been killed by gunfire," said Mack.
