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Last updated on Monday, December 17, 2012
(UNDATED) - As the frequency of mass shootings begins to rise, so does the level of security needed to protect public places like malls, houses of worship, and schools.
Indiana law requires that school districts have a at least one certified school safety specialist on staff.
While training for an event like an active shooter isn't new for school officials or local law enforcement agencies, the way they train and the response plan is beginning to change.
Many of the emergency plans were developed after the massacre at Colorado's Colombine High School in 1999. That shooting involved two students who were already inside the building when they began their rampage. The shooting in Newtown Connecticut started with an outside individual, who forced his way into the school and began targeting victims.
School officials and security experts say the emergency response plans have begun to change over the past few years, following other high profile mass shootings, like the one at Virginia Tech in 2007.
Dr. Robert Taylor is the Superintendent of the Lebanon Community School Corporation. He's also a reserve deputy with the Boone County Sheriff's Department, so he has unique insight into how schools and law enforcement agencies plan for an active shooter.
Dr. Taylor says in the past school's would generally go on lockdown, keeping students and staff from moving between rooms, or even trying to evacuate. Taylor says there's now more of an emphasis on taking a pro-active approach.
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