"Be violent."

That's an actual quote from...

…the active shooter training drill we had at work recently.

This was a first for me. Apparently this is now standard for some of my friends that work in retail. It was not common back when I worked in a big, mall bookstore for a bit after grad school. In fact, the only security instruction I remember at all from that time involved the code phrase we were to use in the event that a child was reported missing in the store. The idea that regular, quarterly instruction on how to handle someone coming into your place of business to murder a whole bunch of people, well…let’s just say that’s a conversation for another day. It’s jarring, to say the least.

We had three officers from the Fayetteville Police Department come to the station and speak to us for over an hour. It was informative. There was a cringe-worthy video presentation, but the overall message, especially the information from the trio of officers, was certainly helpful…and not just for work, but regarding the mindset to have in almost any public situation now.