HOOVER, Ala. (WBMA) — Hoover Police Department is hosting a first-of-its-kind training program in Alabama aimed at preparing school resource officers to respond to active threats on campus.
The three-day School Resource Officer Tactical Assailant Response (STAR) course was developed by the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) in partnership with High Threat Training Group. The training focuses on preparing officers to respond quickly and effectively to active assailant situations in schools, even when they are the first officer on scene.
Hoover is the first law enforcement agency in Alabama to host the specialized training.
“Our children are there and parents entrust their kids to us every day to keep them safe,” Hoover Police Captain Daniel Lowe said. “And so we want to make sure we have the best training and the best equipment and everything else to be able to respond to an incident if God forbid something was to occur in one of our schools.”
The STAR program combines classroom instruction, tactical exercises, decision-making training and force-on-force scenarios designed to simulate real-world emergencies.
According to Trevor Thrasher, co-owner of High Threat Training Group, the training is designed to help officers perform under extreme pressure.
“Our training today is focused solely on the individual SRO responding to an active assailant on a campus,” Thrasher said. “And what we do a lot differently than some of the other organizations is really focus on optimizing the individual and making them to make the best decisions they can in an environment where there’s a lot of stress.”
Instructors say officers are trained to navigate school hallways, classrooms, parking lots and outdoor spaces while identifying threats and protecting innocent people. The exercises are designed to build confidence and improve decision-making during high-stress situations.
Lowe said repeated training is critical because officers often rely on muscle memory when responding to emergencies.
“And when we find ourselves in moments of high stress or in an incident that we have to respond to, our training kicks in immediately,” Lowe said. “And so when we have the best training possible, it becomes muscle memory and we’re able to react and handle the situation very quickly.”
Officials emphasize that while they hope such training is never needed, preparation remains a top priority as schools and law enforcement agencies continue working to improve campus safety.
“We have to look at things that have occurred around the country and we want to be prepared and be proactive in something like this rather than reactive,” Lowe said. “Training like this gives us the opportunity for that.”
NASRO officials say the STAR program is being offered in communities across the country this summer as part of broader efforts to strengthen school safety and prepare school resource officers for rapidly evolving threats.
