Over the course of this week, more than 100 police officers will go through a live shooter training drill at the Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center. As our Matt Hunter explains, with the increase in mass shootings over the years, police have had to modify their tactics.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Despite their increased frequency across the world, mass shootings are still relatively new for police officers in terms of response.

"They go in as fast, as many shots as they can fire, that is their goal," said Lieutenant Donald Benware, a veteran with the New York State Park Police. "They don’t have a political gain or they don’t have any mission other than to kill people."

Before mass-casualty events like the Parkland, Fla., school shooting became more commonplace, Benware says officers were trained to treat hostage situations and other armed threats conservatively.

“Going back 10, 15 or 20 years, the methodology really was to hold the situation, contain it, maybe get a negotiator in there, wait for backup and defuse the situation," said Benware, who’s based at the Saratoga Spa State Park.

As seen in this week's active shooter training at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), Benware and other police leaders acknowledge tactics have clearly changed.

"Basically, we want to respond as quickly as possible," said Saratoga Springs Police Lt. Shane Crooks.

"If you are hearing shots, you are running toward the sound of the gunfire coming toward the shots," Benware said. "It is very time sensitive, every shot is potentially a human life lost."

Overseen by State Park Police and the Saratoga Springs Police Department, officers are going through the training wearing full gear and firing harmless "simunition" bullets made of soap. Storming the concert venue in pairs, the exercise is designed to be as realistic as possible.

“We expect our officers to respond to an incident," said Crooks, who says the agency typically conducts three training exercises a year at crowded venues where mass shootings are more likely to occur. “The only way we can get them to respond to that incident, we have to train them."

Video released after the Parkland shooting showed a school resource officer declining to enter the building while the shooter was still taking lives inside.

"Is it training? I don’t know; it is hard to second-guess that officer not being there,” Benware said. “If they have not kept up with training, the mentality would be definitely to hold the perimeter and not rush in."

By having officers trained to react immediately and effectively, it is a situation local police hope to avoid if they're ever put in that situation.

"It’s a whole shift,” Benware said. “It is tragic, but it is the way the world is going these days."

Officers from the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police and New York State DEC are also participating in this week’s training at SPAC.