Owsley and Lee officials to participate in active threat training May 19 in Booneville

FRANKFORT, Ky., May 16, 2025 – Professionals from Owsley and Lee counties who frequent the Owsley County Courthouse for their work will take part in training Monday at the facility to learn about how civilians can respond to threats such as active shooters in government buildings. The Administrative Office of the Courts’ Division of Court Security is providing the training.

“We want to be proactive in our efforts to equip staff and those who frequent our buildings with proper responses to violence,” AOC Division of Court Security manager Darren Allen said. “There’s always the possibility of violence in public buildings. We want to minimize risk of injury and death, avoiding tragedy.”  

Invitees include Owsley judges and attorneys, personnel with the Offices of Circuit Court Clerk for Owsley and Lee counties, court security for both counties, Owsley County Fiscal Court, and staff with the Owsley County Clerk’s Office, PVA office and sheriff’s department. The Owsley director of emergency management and jailer have also been invited.

The training will cover the Avoid, Deny and Defend strategy. Participants will have the opportunity to use a virtual firearms simulator that assists users in making split-second decisions in a variety of scenarios while in a controlled environment.

The AOC is the operations arm for the state court system and supports the activities of nearly 3,300 employees and 412 elected justices, judges and circuit court clerks. As the fiscal agent for the state court system, the AOC executes the Judicial Branch budget.