On Saturdays March 16 and 23, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., expect to see increased police activity and vehicles in the vicinity of O’Neill High School as the Town of Highlands Police conduct training exercises with the Orange County Sheriff’s office, according to THPD Chief Frank Pierri.
The training — pertaining to active shooter and hostage type police emergencies — is part of ALERRT (Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training). The town is able to due this training thanks to a grant from the US Department of Homeland Security.
Training with them will be officers from the Highland Falls Police Department, and Cornwall-on-Hudson, Craw-ford and Washingtonville Police Departments.
“Other departments got this same grant, so we’re all working together in scheduling these trainings so that every officer in the region gets trained,” the chief said.
Pierri thanked the Sheriff’s Department, the Town Board and Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery Central School District for their cooperation in this “imperative” training.
