Virginia State Police (VSP) The Virginia State Police’s 1st Sgt. Anthony Nicely visited Danville Community College March 15-16 to give active rifleman training to professors and employees. The programme aims to provide the campus community with the skills and information needed to react successfully in an active shooter scenario.
Exercises in Planning and Training:
Cole Taggart, a Virginia Department of Emergency Management all-hazards planner, joined Nicely on March 16 to assist with disaster management planning in collaboration with the college’s Executive Board. Sergeant. Nicely and Mr. Taggart were praised by President Dr. Jerry Wallace for keeping the campus community safe and prepared. “The safety and well-being of our students, instructors, and staff are critical to us,” Wallace added. “We appreciate Sgt. Nicely and Mr. Taggart’s efforts in assisting us in improving our contingency planning and readiness.” Danville Community College is dedicated to providing a secure learning environment for all students.”
Dr. Cornelius Johnson, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Services, agreed with Dr. Wallace and emphasised the significance of being prepared for crises. “As a higher education community, we must be proactive and prepared for any situation,” Johnson said. “Sgt. Nicely’s training and Mr. Taggart’s planning support are essential to our initial efforts.” We appreciate their experience and counsel.”
Nicely has worked in police enforcement for almost 19 years. His training addressed various topics related to reacting to an active rifleman event, such as the need for situational awareness, communication, and the run-hide-fight reaction.
In the Present Day:
“In a severe, life-threatening scenario, multi-agency collaboration and readiness are crucial to saving lives,” said Nicely, commander of Virginia State Police Area 38. “Exercises like these are critical to ensuring that first responders and community college administration, teachers, staff, and students have the information and training required to save lives when every minute counts.”
Taggart has over ten years of expertise in public safety and specialises in all-hazards planning. He collaborated with the College Executive Board to evaluate and revise contingency plans to ensure they were current and by best practices. “VDEM’s engagement with DCC, like our connection with other government higher education institutions,” Taggart said, “is to assist them grow their bandwidth to cope with catastrophes and calamities.” We anticipate further working with the DCC team to develop its goals, processes, and capacities.
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