(Walhalla, SC)-------------------------------------The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office will be hosting their first “Community Forum” on Tuesday, August 15th at the Auditorium at Seneca High School.
The first Forum, which will begin at 6:30pm, will focus on Active Shooting and how citizens can protect themselves should they encounter an active shooter. The doors for the Forum will open at 6pm and admission is free.
“Active shooting incidents are on the minds of everyone due to several factors including the various locations where the shootings have occurred and the volume of reported incidents across our country,” says Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw. “In 2023, there have been approximately 30 mass shootings across the United States and more than 550 since 2006, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. The number one mission of the Sheriff’s Office is the safety of our citizens. The information that will be presented at this Forum may make the difference between the life and death of someone who may be in a location of an active shooting.”
According to Sheriff Crenshaw, the Forum will not focus on law enforcement tactics and techniques in regards to a response to an active shooter incident but will focus more on what a citizen can do to best protect themselves in these situations and what to do in the aftermath of the event, including what to do when law enforcement arrives on the scene. Personnel from the L.E.A.D.S. unit, which is part of the Special Operations Bureau, and who provides training to Deputies with the Sheriff’s Office, will provide the presentation.
Evie Hughes, Director of Student Services, Safety, and Security for the School District of Oconee County, will also discuss what parents need to do regarding reunification with their children should an active shooter incident occur in a School District of Oconee County school.
Afterwards, there will be a time for a question and answer segment. The entire presentation should last anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes.
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank our partners with the School District of Oconee County for the use of the auditorium at Seneca High School in order to provide this important information to our citizens.