Aurora Cops Share Lessons With Colo. Responders

Jan. 19--OXFORD -- First responders across the state filled the Oxford Civic Center gymnasium Thursday to learn from two commanders who led Aurora, Colo., police in the moments after 12 people were killed at a movie theater.

Aurora police incident commander Lt. Jad Lanigan and SWAT commander Mike Dailey took turns sharing their personal experience after James Holmes shot 70 moviegoers at the Century 16 theater in the Denver suburb in July 2012.

During the four-hour session Thursday, Lanigan and Dailey covered the importance of training for active shooter situations, managing the media, preparing for visits from national figures and the long-term effects of an incident like the Aurora shooting.

"A post-incident assessment determined we handled the situation pretty well," Lanigan said during the training. "We had to get creative at times and there were things we could have done better but overall we did well."

Among the crowd sat police, deputies, firefighters, EMS personnel and dispatchers.

"They all played a part in that day," Dailey said during the training.

The Oxford Police Department partnered with Jacksonville State University's Center for Applied Forensics to host the training.

"This was an opportunity that came to us and we were able to provide this training free of charge," center Director Mark Hopwood said during the training. "We opened this training up to all first responders because this incident involved police, firefighters, EMS and dispatchers."

Oxford police Chief Bill Partridge recalled the night the Aurora shooting happened.

"I heard about it at home that evening and was monitoring it by social media and of course the news reports that were coming in live," he explained. "This type of training is really really valuable with this type of situation happening on a regular basis across the country."

Lanigan and Dailey talked about the long-term effect the shooting had on them and the department.

"These were our victims' service advocates," Lanigan said showing a photograph of seven women. "Three are still with us."

Partridge said even sitting through training like the session Thursday can bring back memories of incidents past.

"Most people think once this incident is over in a few hours it goes back to normal, but that's not true," he said. "Your first responders experience a lot of trauma themselves, not necessarily gunshot wounds most of the time but mental trauma for having experienced this type of situation."

While the training was only open to first responders, Partridge said he wished it could be shared with the public.

"It would be nice for the public to understand what law enforcement and fire personnel, and EMS personnel go through in these types of experiences," the chief said. "What kind of trauma they incur mentally from these types of incidents, but unfortunately we can't involve them in this because of the sensitive nature of what we're discussing."

Staff writer Kirsten Fiscus: 256-235-3563. On Twitter @kfiscus_star.

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