The Caruth Police Institute (CPI) at The University of North Texas at Dallas has announced a partnership with the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center (ALERRT) at Texas State University to provide research-based active shooter training to save lives and protect communities.
The UNT Dallas Caruth Police Institute CPI and Texas State also will team with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute to add a four-hour block of officer mental health and physical wellness education to ALERRT’s training.
Following the tragedy in Uvalde, leaders from the UNT Dallas Caruth Police Institute reached out to ALERRT to explore an affiliate partnership for training in Texas. Earlier this month ALERRT, CPI, and the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute signed a Memo of Understanding (MOU) to make CPI an extended training partner to provide ALERRT training directly from the Caruth Police Institute.
“It has become evident that there is a need to increase training capacity across the state to respond to active shooter incidents. This partnership will permit CPI to share the nationally renowned ALERRT training program with other Texas law enforcement agencies and ensure those who have successfully completed the training are prepared to properly respond,” said Jeff Spivey, executive director of the UNT Dallas Caruth Police Institute. “Adding the mental health and wellness instruction to the training will then assist them in being prepared for managing their trauma after an event.”
“ALERRT’s partnership with CPI will provide a consistent training location in North Texas to allow more officers to be trained,” said Pete Blair, executive director of the ALERRT Center. “Working with MMPI brings valuable mental health resources to ALERRT’s portfolio of offerings.”
The UNT Dallas Caruth Police Institute was created in 2008 through an innovative partnership between the Dallas Police Department and the University of North Texas at Dallas. Initially funded by the Communities Foundation of Texas, the UNT Dallas Caruth Police Institute originally focused on fulfilling the research, career advancement and leadership development needs of the Dallas Police Department, but today also serves law enforcement and public safety agencies throughout Texas, offering customized leadership courses, seminars, training and research design.
The UNT Dallas Caruth Police has partnered with the Meadows Institute on several programs to address mental health concerns, including the innovative Texas Law Enforcement Peer Network. The newly launched program is designed to give every Texas law enforcement officer access to specially trained peers to address stressors, trauma, fatigue and other needs to combat workforce burnout and end police suicide and self-harm.
“Preparing our public safety officers to recognize and address the stress and trauma they and their colleagues experience on the job is a crucial component of first responders’ overall ability to do their jobs and serve their communities effectively,” said BJ Wagner, Senior Vice President of Health and Public Safety at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. “The Meadows Institute is proud to be part of this partnership and support the critically important ALERRT training program.”
The ALERRT center was established in 2002 as a partnership among Texas State, the San Marcos Police Department and the Hays County Sheriff’s Department to address the need for active shooter training. In 2013 the FBI designated ALERRT as the national standard in active shooter response training.
Since 2002, ALERRT has been awarded more than $125 million in state and federal grant funding and has trained more than 250,000 first responders. The program also provides Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events and Avoid Deny Defend training and has trained more than 900,000 civilians nationwide.
ABOUT THE UNT DALLAS CARUTH POLICE INSTITUTE
The UNT Dallas Caruth Police Institute was created by an innovative partnership between the Dallas Police Department and the University of North Texas at Dallas in 2008. The UNT Dallas Caruth Police Institute was funded with an initial grant of $9.5 million from the Communities Foundation of Texas, and initially focused on fulfilling the complex research, career advancement, and leadership development needs of the Dallas Police Department. This puts the Dallas Police Department in the unique position of being a national resource for innovative and evidence-based strategies in policing. Today, UNT Dallas Caruth Police Institute serves law enforcement and public safety agencies throughout Texas, offering customized leadership courses, seminars, training, and research design. For more information, visit cpi.untdallas.edu.
ABOUT MEADOWS MENTAL HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE
Launched in 2014, the Meadows Institute helps legislators, state officials, members of the judiciary, and local, state, and national leaders identify equitable systemic solutions to mental health needs and has become Texas’s most trusted source for data-driven mental health policy. The Meadows Institute is making a significant impact in multiple areas, helping Texas and national leaders shift the focus of new investments toward early intervention, addressing the mental health crisis in our jails and emergency rooms, and helping all people with mental health needs recover and be well. Learn more at https://mmhpi.org.
ABOUT TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1899, Texas State University is among the largest universities in Texas with an enrollment of 38,376 students on campuses in San Marcos and Round Rock. Texas State’s 221,000-plus alumni are a powerful force in serving the economic workforce needs of Texas and throughout the world.
