PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — An active shooter trainer says he's seeing a surge in schools wanting to learn how to spot a possible threat.
Tim Miller, a former Secret Service and former Homeland Security agent, spoke to WPTV on Wednesday after a toy gun believed to be a weapon caused a code-red lockdown at Howell L Watkins Middle School in Palm Beach Gardens.
"Every time that happens, it ties up law enforcement resources," Tim Miller, a former Secret Service and Homeland Security agent who now teaches active shooter prevention, told WPTV. "It causes parents to go into extreme alarm given the volume of real incidents. So this is really concerning."
"The reality is every person in this country needs to have a level of personal security training," Miller added.
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Miller is the president of Lionheart International Services and said he's seen a surge in schools, places of worship and businesses wanting training, as well as pranksters calling in the SWAT team.
"Who knows if it's a Nerf gun or not. I think it's always wise for school leadership to assume worst case," Miller said. "They're [police] prepared to handle whatever the level of the crisis is. I would much rather them over respond than under respond."
The school sent out a message that the threat turned out to be a Nerf gun, notifying parents.
“It's absolutely a scary situation when your child is in a possibly harmful situation and you're not there beside them to guide them," the parent of an eighth-grade stuent said.
Miller said his advice is to always be alert and aware. He also encourages schools to take action on prevention.
"We need to understand that law enforcement resources are limited," Miller said. "Therefore, it could take them time to get there. Therefore, you got to have a plan."
The school district requires schools to have 11 lockdown drills.
A school official couldn't confirm if the student with the Nerf gun will face any disciplinary action.
