Baylor University Department of Public Safety Hosts Joint Active Threat Training Exercise with Multiple Law Enforcement Agencies

Contact: Shelby Cefaratti-Bertin, Baylor University Media & Public Relations, 254-327-8012
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WACO, Texas (July 31, 2023) - On Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, the Baylor University Department of Public Safety (BUDPS) and its branches, including the Baylor University Police Department (BUPD), along with 19 other local and federal law enforcement partners and emergency responders, will conduct a joint active threat training exercise in and around Baylor Law School and McLane Stadium on the Baylor campus.

The exercise is scheduled to start at 6:30 a.m. and conclude at approximately 1 p.m. It will be visible to the public as the majority of the training exercise will be held in and around Baylor Law School and McLane Stadium and will involve multiple law enforcement, fire and medical vehicles and around 150 personnel. A safety perimeter, including signage, will be in place in the area, indicating police training is in progress. Baylor DPS asks people to avoid this area on Tuesday.

It is important to note that emergency vehicles will NOT use flashing lights or sirens, and drivers will obey all speed limits and traffic signs. In addition to law enforcement and first responder personnel in the area, mock victims will be transported by ambulance, as well as across the river by the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office, to a staging area at McLane Stadium, where three medical helicopters will participate in the exercise with lift-offs and touchdowns. 

This joint training exercise will provide simulated training for multiple organizations to work collaboratively in an active threat incident. This training will further strengthen local emergency services coordination and response to an active threat should one occur on the Baylor University campus or other locations in the greater Waco area.

Participating agencies include the branches of the Baylor University Department of Public Safety, which includes the Baylor Police Department; Waco Police Department, Waco Fire Department, McLennan County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety, American Medical Response, Hewitt Police Department, Hewitt Fire Department, McLennan Community College Police Department, Lorena Police Department, Heart of Texas Fire Corps, Waco-McLennan County Office of Emergency Management, Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Air Evac, Airlift, PHI Air Medical, Baylor Scott & White-Hillcrest and Ascension Providence.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.