Active Attack Program Overview

CRCC - HOST A TRAINING
FIRST RESPONDERS - HOST A TRAINING

Tragic events in the Commonwealth of Virginia over the last two decades serve as a reminder of the need to be prepared. From the rampage of the Washington, D.C. snipers (2002), the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy (2002), the horror at Virginia Tech (2007), and the shootings in Virginia Beach (2019), it is evident that these life threatening situations happen suddenly, unexpectedly, and without geographic discrimination.  

The DCJS Active Attack Program (AAP) exists to help achieve the goals of preparedness and protection for the entire Commonwealth. This statewide initiative promotes safety preparedness through the “Whole Community Approach.”  The days of citizens hiding and hoping until help arrives are no longer an acceptable form of mitigation.  DCJS strives to build a culture of preparedness where each citizen recognizes and takes ownership as a stakeholder in their own safety as Immediate Responders to Avoid, Deny, and Defend against active attacks. As First Responders from Virginia's Law Enforcement, Fire and EMS communities arrive, the highest degree of efficiency in their integrated efforts to stop the killing and stop the dying is expected. To accomplish this cooperative effort there must be a standardized approach of integration to reduce the impact a disaster like this can have on communities.  The DCJS Active Attack Program deliberately and intentionally encourages all citizens and first responders to work together, specifically within the area of active attack threat management.  This program provides the opportunity of training through a new partnership with the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University, which has become the national standard in civilian and law enforcement response to active attack events. The goal is for Virginia to become a national model in training citizens alongside first responders to empower resiliency when faced with mitigation of these terrible events, and to promote this culture of preparedness to all residents and strengthen the efforts of all first responders. 

Active Attack Program Training Courses

The DCJS Active Attack Program's "Whole Community Approach" requires training for Virginia's citizens and first responders to enable them to work together when an active attack occurs to stop the killing and stop the dying. Available training courses are listed at the links below. These courses are offered upon request to community organizations, school divisions, institutions of higher education, law enforcement agencies and Fire/EMS. Please review the course descriptions, eligibility, and hosting requirements and complete the form to request a training.

Community Focused Courses Offered

First Responder Courses Offered

Active Attack Program Contact