Contact Team members, left to right, Charles O. Kerley,

Contact Team members, left to right, Charles O. Kerley, Tech. Sgt. Mary M. Connelly and Master Sgt. David Hightower move out during the base-wide active shooter exercise at the 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, located at Atlantic City Air National Guard Base, N.J., May 5, 2010. The 177th is training to respond to a situation in which one or more individuals participate in a shooting spree on the installation. Because there is generally no criminal objective involved, other than pure violence, these scenarios are dangerous and require specialized training on the part of all members of the base population. This exercise tested the Wing’s ability to report and notify Airmen to take cover, to notify first-responders, to neutralize the threat and finally, to assess the unit’s ability to deal with the consequences of such an event, as well as to interact with multiple law enforcement agencies. This particular exercise involved elements of the New Jersey State Police and Egg Harbor Township Police, along with observers from various state and federal agencies. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Mark Olsen/Released)