The Alabama Department of Homeland Security wants Alabama residents "to be prepared for the worst."
The department has released a graphic public service announcement advising people what to do if they ever find themselves in the midst of a mass shooting.
The 6-minute video, which is replete with fake blood and shrill screaming, looks more like an action short than a taxpayer-funded instructional video. It shows a man, dressed in black and wearing dark sunglasses, shooting people at close range in a crowded workplace.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE
The video recommends, among other things, that those who find themselves in "the middle of an active shooter event" have a plan. To wit: "run, hide, fight." (Fighting is a last resort, it should be noted, if escaping from the location or hiding in a secure place aren't possibilities.)
The video was actually produced for the city of Houston last year, said Leah Garner, the public information officer for the Alabama Department of Homeland Security. When Alabama officials saw the video, they decided to make a version specific to the state.
The department planned on officially releasing the video in January, but after the shooting at Newtown, Conn., last month, officials decided to move up the release date.
"From a law enforcement standpoint, we're just not at the point where we can predict who and why and how these [shootings] are happening," Garner told The Huffington Post. "So for law enforcement to be able to explain to the public and say this is the best case scenario of how you can respond in in this type of situation, hopefully will save lives."
According to the Associated Press, the PSA's $200,000 pricetag was covered by federal grants. Garner told HuffPost the state of Alabama had to pay about $2,000 to make the video specific to the state. Some of the changes included removing references to Houston and adding an introduction by Spencer Collier, the director of Alabama Homeland Security.