A sign for the ALERRT Training Center, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in San Marcos.
The Texas State University System (TSUS) approved the construction of a new $25 million facility for Texas Sate’s active shooter response training center.
The expansion, discussed in a TSUS Board of Regents meeting, was approved on Feb. 12 to accommodate the center’s need for a bigger area to conduct active shooter response training.
Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) was founded in 2002 as a partnership between Texas State, the San Marcos Police Department and the Hays County Sheriff’s Office to provide first responders with necessary active shooter training. The training facility is located in Maxwell, Texas.
J. Pete Blair, executive director of the ALERRT center, said the center’s main goal is to provide the best research-based information, training or critical incident response. Blair said that while active shooter training is the primary area of focus, the center also helps with large events such as car crashes or gas line explosions.
“We’re trying to move things forward and then beyond just the specific materials that we train,” Blair said. “We’re also doing a lot more work now on how to most efficiently train [law enforcement in new areas beyond active shooters].”
James Keith, director of external relations for ALERRT, said ALERRT has completed over 350,000 first responder trainings, both inside and outside of the facility.
“In a given year, we’ll do more than 3,600 classes,” Keith said. “…Not just at the facility, but around the world.”
Keith said the expansion will include a single building which will house offices previously located in Texas State’s Encino Hall, putting all ALERRT employees in one two-story building.
Jayme Blaschke, assistant director for the Office of Media Relations at Texas State, reported in a press release that the administration building will be 14,800 square feet, and house around 30-40 employees. In addition, a 16,400 square feet logistics warehouse.
Keith said the warehouse will be climate controlled, and house kits that are shipped out for active shooter trainings around the world. KDL Solutions, the supplier for all training kits, reports on their website that in the up to 10 kits needed for a training includes weapons, magazines, devices, electronics, protective gear, medical gear and an optional training aid that creates mock gunshots to help with response training.
“We have kits that we ship out for those classes, and all of that takes place in our logistics warehouse, which right now is stacked to the ceiling,” Keith said. “So, this new building will have space to house all the logistics, the kits, the equipment, everything that’s required for one of our courses.”
According to Keith, saving time is another benefit from the new facility, making it easier for staff to find parking because of the new office location. Keith said another benefit is more effective trainings due to outdated facilities being upgraded.
Keith also discussed the effects that ALERRT has on students. Keith said that certain staff members at Texas State students such as department heads and faculty are trained by ALERRT for active shooter events. Kathy Martinez-Prather, director of the Texas School Safety Center, said that while acts of violence in school environments are statistically low, the events can be catastrophic.
From 1966 to 2025 there were 17 shootings on college campuses that resulted in at least 3 deaths. From 2013 to 2025, there were about 400 instances of gunfire on campuses, causing over 250 injuries and resulting in over 110 deaths, according to BestColleges.
“[Active shooting events in schools] are extremely catastrophic, and the impact that they have on the community that they occur in, and at a national level, is something to not ignore,” Martinez-Prather said.
Martinez-Prather said she would recommend students or residents of San Marcos to take classes like that at ALERRT. ALERRT offers civilian classes on its website that show civilians what to do in the event of an active shooter, such as Civilian Response to Active Shooter Event (CRASE) training.
“The normal reaction is to freeze up, and so this training sort of walks them through what to do in these types of situations,” Martinez-Prather said. “There are incidents we always talk about [when a place is] going into lockdown, [and] being able to [properly address the situation]. ALERRT coins this process of ‘Avoid, deny, defend.’”
According to the KXAN, The new facilities are expected to finish construction at the start of 2027. This construction will help trainings adapt to constant changes and allow for more trainings to take place.
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