Reality-based training facility opens, hopes to reach first responders across the state and nation

NEW CANEY, Texas (KBTX) – A new reality-based training facility in Montgomery County aims to ensure law enforcement across the state is prepared for active shooter situations.

A group of law enforcement and state leaders celebrated opening the one-of-a-kind facility on Monday in New Caney. They met at what appeared to be a school, but it closed down in 2019. Still, signage for students and faculty, classrooms with books and study materials plus a library with shelving and equipment remain.

That is exactly why leaders say this was the perfect place to ensure law enforcement across the state is ready.

“When the FBI and Secret Service train, they train in a city or school or building session so they can be trained exactly how to respond, so do our state police. But we’ve not had a reality-based training center like we have here now. This is the first in the state,” Lt. Governor, Dan Patrick, said.

Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson was joined by Patrick, State Senator Brandon Creighton, Montgomery County Judge Mike Keough, Texas State Representative Steve Toth, author and school safety activist Andrew Pollack and Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon. The group cut a ribbon to open the training facility on Monday.

Pollack spoke to the group as the father of a student killed in a school shooting. Pollack lost his daughter in the Parkland, Florida High School shooting where 17 people were killed.

“It’s still really hard when I do things like this even though it’s five years, there’s nothing I could explain to anyone, hopefully, anyone in here what it’s like to have a child murdered. There is nothing I could put on it to tell you how difficult it is and how painful,” he said.

Pollack said he spends his time advocating for schools to be safer. This was a major step in that direction according to Henderson.

“We came together and asked what can we do as a community that would make an impact on stopping the next school shooting and what we could also do to respond better when there is an active shooter threat that happens,” he said.

This new facility doesn’t just offer school shooter training, but also office building, open-air courtyard and courthouse shooting training. This is where the group touched on tragedies like in Uvalde and Allen.

“This is an action step so hopefully that never happens again, that when law enforcement arrives on the scene, and we pray that never happens in a school or anywhere in America or here in Montgomery County or Texas, but if it does we want them to be the best trained in the country,” Lt. Governor, Dan Patrick, said.

Instructors at the new facility said they will be welcoming groups from Brazos County law enforcement agencies soon, including the team from College Station Police SWAT.