It’s a scenario no police officer wants to find themselves in – a call over the radio, about an active shooter.

But should that scenario happen, Mason Police Chief Kevin Maxwell said he wants his officers, and those that may respond to assist, to be ready.

On Jan. 5, during a joint exercise between multiple departments, officers were given a scenario with little information – a report of someone shooting randomly in the parking area of the Mason police station. When they respond, the perpetrator shoots at them before entering the building’s back door.

Officers have to make their way inside, not knowing what they’re about to face, as they wait for backup.

Inside, are officers playing wounded, and there are dummies with trauma wounds officers must assess and treat after taking down the suspect.

On some of the officers are disks on their arms or calves that will give them a shock, simulating that they’ve been hit with a bullet. Some are wearing mounted cameras, with a syncopated heart monitor for training review after the exercise. Their guns are loaded with Simunition rounds, cartridges that fire paint-filled plastic projectiles which are used to mark targets, much like paintballs. 

The simulation was a culmination of skills officers learned over the course of two days during a joint training hosted by the Mason Police Department, which used the police station and Mason Congregational Church to provide scenarios officers had to respond to on their feet, with little information, as they might in an actual active-shooting scenario.

For a small, rural department, an active shooter or mass shooting would be an all-hands on deck situation, said Maxwell.

That’s why, when he decided to run a training for active-shooter scenarios and trauma medicine, he put out the call to other neighboring forces to send their own officers to join the training.

During last week’s training sessions, officers from Mason, Rindge, Ashby, Townsend, Hollis, Brookline, Milford and Temple-Greenville gathered to do simulation training in the Mason Congregational Church and the Mason police station, learning how to react to active-shooter scenarios.

“My passion is training, and upping our game,” Maxwell said.

Police officers carry a heavy duty of responsibility, Maxwell said, as one of the few professions that involve strapping on a firearm every day. He said that duty comes with the need to make sure officers are as prepared as possible for the kinds of scenarios they might face, and reducing the risk of the possibility of casualties on either side.

Maxwell said that Mason is a small department, and when he joined the force 30 years ago, he didn’t see the kind of training he organized last week – but times have changed, he said.

According to the Violence Project, since 1966, there have been 1,391 deaths in the United States connected to public mass-shooting incidents, and such incidents are growing more frequent and with more casualties. Half of the 36 deadliest mass shootings in the last 120 years have occurred in the last 10 years.

“Unfortunately, that’s the world we live in today,” Maxwell said. “Mason’s a great little town, and we’re somewhat in a bubble, but it can happen, even here. The only thing we can do is be prepared as best as we can.”

Rindge Police Chief Rachel Malynowski sent two of her newest officers to the training, agreeing with Maxwell that early training can be vital for young officers, both in giving them a good foundation and also exposing them to potential future career options within the force.

“It’s essential to get as much training as soon as you can, and to get an understanding of what can happen,” Malynowski said. “It also has to be something that benefits the department.”

The Mason training included multiple instructors with a variety of experience, including Greg Miller, a SWAT medic; Conner Barcus, with experience as a SWAT officer; Kyle Ingersoll, a SWAT officer; Erik Slocum, a former part-time officer in Mason who has SWAT and medic experience; Patrick Randall, a former Special Forces medic; Ryan Moran, a former Army Rangers medic; Will Rowell, a retired Special Forces officer; Justin Romanello, the EMS Bureau Chief; and Daniel Schongal, who ran the technology needed to support the scenarios.

Maxwell called the volunteers a “wealth of local talent,” and Malynowski said she jumped at the chance to have her officers benefit from the wealth of experience on offer.

Maxwell said he would like to continue to offer joint trainings both to keep the skills learned last week fresh and to train on other aspects of the job in the future, and thanked the Select Board for its support in hosting the training, along with the Mason Congregational Church and the town for the use of their buildings in the training scenarios.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.