Amid heightened concerns tied to mass shootings in recent years, the Honolulu Police Department is continuing to provide its patrol officers with the latest specialized training on responding to active shooter incidents.

Since 2014 the department has trained 1,811 officers in how to contend with active shooter situations, which are described as a person killing people in a confined area, usually with firearms and often at random.

HPD has also given 202 officers from outside agencies the same training, including state sheriffs, military police and the FBI.

Lt. Thomas Santos of HPD’s Major Events Division said that after officers undergo the department’s initial two-day active shooter class, training continues with refresher courses in individual districts because the instruction is evolving and the required skills are perishable.

THE TRAINING focuses on tactics and team concepts, such as multiple officers entering a building to search for a shooter.

Maj. William Baldwin, commander of the Major Events Division, said that according to an FBI study, active shooter incidents have more than doubled since 2000, averaging 16.4 incidents per year from 2007 to 2013, compared with 6.4 incidents a year from 2000 to 2007.

“There’s more of these things happening all the time,” he said. “It’s probably not if, it’s when.”

ABOUT 60 PERCENT of the incidents end before police arrive, and many are short-lived, with the shooter committing suicide or being killed by police, Baldwin said.

He noted police are now prepping security for the Honolulu Marathon, which draws thousands of observers and runners. Baldwin offered few details on the effort, saying only that cameras will be used and the route monitored for suspicious activity.

He asked that anyone who sees anything suspicious to report it. Also, police said officers continually monitor online social media sites for suspicious activity.

HPD funded the active shooter training with a $90,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security and plans to expand it to include other first responders.

Santos said that next year HPD will train firefighters and paramedics to respond after an active shooter threat has been contained, such as providing casualty care, arranging staging areas and setting up reunification points for survivors.

HPD IS ALSO offering free active shooter presentations to businesses, schools and other organizations. The training includes a video, which can be seen online, that emphasizes the strategy “Run, Hide, Fight” for surviving an active shooter incident.

Baldwin, who gave HPD’s presentation to the media Thursday, said all companies and schools should have an active shooter action plan and a rallying point off property, where employees or students can meet after escaping from the building. He said people should stay in the rallying place until officers give them permission to leave, because they may have to interviewed.

Because of the recent mass shootings, active shooter training has become more prevalent, with training being held at campuses of the University of Hawaii and state schools.

Requests for HPD’s presentation can be made by clicking on “speaker requests,” in the “community” section of HPD’s website at honolulupd.org.