Brooks,

I read your comments on the Shots Fired program and just wanted to touch base with you. I work for the Center for Personal Protection and Safety, the company that produced the program. First of all, you need to know that the heart of our company and the program is not to instill fear or cause students to be afraid of one another, but to give each individual a mindset of I can survive this incident. You have a better chance of being struck by lightning then finding yourself in an active shooter incident, however the tragedy at Virginia Tech showed that students and faculty alike didn't act. Instead they cowered and huddled in a corner of a classroom, when they could've gotten out when Cho headed back to the dorm. Just like when you're on an airplane, the flight attendants aren't trying to make you afraid to fly by going over evacuation procedures and flotation device demonstrations, they just want you to be prepared if worse-case incident occurs. I think you only saw the two-minute trailer, but if you'd like to see the full video, send me an email and I'll send you a link that you can preview the campus version in its entirety. By the way, the feedback we've been receiving from schools using the programs has been tremendous. Students are actually reporting that it makes them feel safer and more prepared. I hope to hear back from you. I'm a former youth pastor who views this as an incredible ministry that will make a difference. Take care.

Colin Donahoe
Center for Personal Protection & Safety