HOUSTON — What happened in Uvalde can happen anywhere. We've seen mass shootings in schools, theaters, grocery stores and even hospitals.
That's why Crime Stoppers says active shooter training is more important than ever. In Houston, that training is free.
In 2020, Crime Stoppers of Houston partnered with JetBlue to offer a free active shooter training course. Since the tragedy in Uvalde, a lot more calls have been coming in.
It's a class where you have to ask yourself a tough question: What do I do if it happens to me?
Sydney Zuiker, with Crime Stoppers, said the noticeable spike in mass shootings across the country is making more people want to learn what they can do to survive an active shooter situation.
"We're at a critical point where every group needs to be doing this," Zuiker said. "What we’ve noticed is that our active shooter incidents against churches and larger events have increased and students are the ones who know what to do and parents have no idea."
Through the partnership with JetBlue, Crime Stoppers has already trained 11,000 people in the Houston area.
"It could be the difference between one of our staff member's life or death," said Zuiker.
In the training, experts break down helpful tips that boil down to this: run, hide, and if you must, fight.
The goal is to get everyone in the mindset that it can happen to anyone, so if it does, everyone knows how to respond to the fear.
"If you've never gone there in your brain and thought what would you do, you will likely freeze and that can be the thing that keeps you from survival," Zuiker said. "You need to be trained on this before a tragic event."
The training takes less than an hour and is open to any school, church or community group. All you have to do is ask.
"There's no excuse. It's simple. It's free. It's lifesaving," Zuiker said.
To request the training, reach out to Crime Stoppers of Houston and fill out this form.