SALISBURY, MD – When emergencies happen at Salisbury University, the SU Police Department typically is first on the scene — but that doesn’t mean its officers operate in a vacuum.
The department recently hosted allied emergency response agencies throughout Wicomico County for a tabletop exercise, highlighting the roles of each and providing first responders an opportunity to work together in a controlled staging of a potential emergency situation on campus.
“Each of these agencies relies on the others in the event of an emergency,” said SUPD Captain Chris Shockley, who organized the event. “It’s important that we each know the resources we can bring to the table when it comes to a crisis situation.”
Participating agencies with the SUPD included the Salisbury and Delmar police departments, Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, Salisbury Fire Department, Wicomico County Department of Emergency Services and TidalHealth.
The SUPD works with these and other agencies year-round through a series of memoranda of understanding that allows SU Police officers to patrol and respond to areas off campus, and vice versa.
Allied law enforcement agencies have an open invitation to use SU’s state-of-the-art virtual reality police training system, which allows officers to practice incident response and de-escalation tactics in real time. The University also has opened some of its buildings to the Salisbury Fire Department for training.
Shockley hopes to make the interagency tabletop a regular event.
“Our goal is to make sure our campus, and the surrounding community, is as safe as possible,” he said. “These types of exercises are an important tool in helping us meet that objective.”
Learn more about SU and opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours at www.salisbury.edu.
