Calhoun Premium Outlets hold active shooter drill

After more than three months of planning, Calhoun Premium Outlets and Calhoun City Police Department coordinated an active shooter seminar and drill for store managers and their employees on Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10 at the center, located at 455 Belwood Road in Calhoun.

On Saturday, store managers and staff, as well as center staff attended the active shooter seminar conducted by Sgt. Tom Petty under the direction of Calhoun City Police Chief Garry Moss. Sgt. Petty, a training officer for the City of Calhoun Police Department and a master firearms specialist, provided attendees with key information on what to do in an active shooter situation. He trained the group on characteristics of a potential active shooter and among other topics, how to spot concealed weapons.

On Sunday, Sgt. Petty, along with Lieutenant Harris Housley and Officer Scott Kilgore of the Calhoun Police Department, staged an active shooter drill at the Old Navy store. Ashley Bailey and Matthew Touhy, Police Academy graduates from Georgia Northwestern Technical College, participated in the drill by becoming active shooters. The management and staff of Old Navy participated in the live drill, which provided them with first-hand experience on the chaos associated in a active shooter event and what their reactions would be if faced with a real life situation. Several of the attendees from the Saturday seminar attended the live drill, as well as observers. All participants were reminded that you should always have a plan; know where your exits are and know safe places to hide if you can’t run.

Calhoun Premium Outlets appreciates the support and cooperation of the Calhoun Police Department.