Camden County police trained in use of force and active shooter situations in a closed school.
SOMERDALE -- When four Camden County police officers entered the dark hallway at the closed Our Lady of Grace and Holy Rosary School, they were in a tight formation, holding aloft handguns loaded with non-lethal "simunition" bullets used in trainings.
The only hint of what's facing them was a sentence from Sgt. Raphael Thornton, who was leading the training, before he sent them through the doorway: There's an active school shooter in the building with students.
In the hallway, they passed a group of officers portraying fleeing students. An officer watching the formation's rear noticed a gun in the hand of one actor and realized the gunman was hiding in the group. There are shouts, gunshots and a man lies on the ground.
"What else do you do?" Thornton shouts down the hallway, reminding the officers to check the other rooms and secure the suspect, even if he is motionless.
The scenario was just one of dozens the department ran for 60 officers during the active shooter and use-of-force training at the closed Somerdale school Tuesday night. The training is a requirement for officers in Camden.
Police departments around the country are regularly the same active shooter drills, acting out the horrifying incidents that have taken dozens of lives over the years.
The number of mass shootings is hard to nail down. Mother Jones' shooting tracker, which considers only shootings in public that kill four or more, lists only three this year. The Gun Violence Archive considers mass shootings to be when at least four are injured. By that criteria, it reports that so far in 2016 there have been 357 mass shootings.
And with every high-profile mass shooting, from Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. to Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, law enforcement can learn more and update the recommended tactics.
At Columbine High School in 1999, it was widely reported that police surrounded the building but didn't make entry for a half hour. Now, Thornton said, officers know that there is no time to wait for SWAT, ballistic shields or even backup.
The thinking now is that whoever gets there first enters the building and tries to "eliminate the threat," he said.
"And if the shooter is engaged with you, he won't be killing innocent people," he said. "I hate to say it, but it's a numbers game." An officer is putting his or her life at risk engaging a shooter alone, but that could save dozens of lives.
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Plus, someone trying to harm people is not always using a gun. Abdul Razak Ali Artan injured 11 at Ohio State University Monday by ramming his car into a crowd of people and slashing with a butcher knife, authorities said.
"You have to be ready for anything," said Lt. Kevin Lutz, head of training for the department. "It's really to mold a completely well-rounded officer."
And that doesn't just mean getting the bad guy in Tuesday's training exercise. They are being trained to carefully assess the person, their mental state, whether they are a danger only to themselves or others, and whether the situation can be de-escalated through communication.
For instance, some active shooter scenarios might have the shooter quickly drop the weapon when ordered to, in which case officers in the training should not shoot him or her.
In other situations, the suspect will barricade himself or herself with hostages. "Then you have to slow down and become the negotiator," Thornton said.
Lutz said the use of force training that went on Tuesday was based on new guidelines and training from the Police Executive Research Forum.
The group has focused on how to best train officers to de-escalate and enter every use-of-force situation with a focus on the "sanctity of life," according to its website. Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson is the group's president.
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.