ODESSA, Texas —
On Tuesday, Odessa Mayor Javier Joven announced an effort to form an active shooter task force.
The program, titled the “Mayor’s Active Shooter Training Coalition,” would involve ongoing training aimed at preparing the community to react to threats posed by an active shooter.
Joven is requesting participation from local law enforcement agencies, schools, churches and business owners.
Not all those entities were officially on board at the time of his announcement, but he said he would be reaching out to the Odessa Police Department, Ector County Sheriff’s Office, Ector County Independent School District, Medical Center Hospital and the Texas Department of Public Safety, as well as other law enforcement agencies and community leaders, in the coming days.
He closed out his announcement with the following statement:
“No one knows when an evil person bent on death and destruction will unleash the darkness of their heart but we, as a community, can respond quickly and forcefully to minimize the damage wrought by such evil and can save lives if we are prepared to do so.
I request that all Ector County citizens continue to pray for Uvalde and for our community leaders as we work together to better protect our city.”