Mock Gunman Drill At Mason High School: Thinking The Unthinkable

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Local 12
Posted : 2007-07-12

Editor's Note: Thinking the unthinkable? Let's try that, instead of police officers cowering behind cars and trees waiting for SWAT or the feds they actually assess the situation and protect the citizenry. These drills happen every day and in every state in the union yet when the real crisis arises our police officers with M15's and tanks courtesy of Homeland Security grants are frozen stiff and watch as people are killed. These drills work well for instilling fear and manipulating the population through behavior modification. Turn in your guns, only terrorists and drug dealers own guns.

Now... imagine this kind of terror... a school shooting where eight people are killed and eight others wounded. That was the scenario today for a mock disaster drill in Mason.

As Local 12 Reporter Jeff Hirsh shows us, the idea is to get ready for something you hope never happens.

Remember... what you are about to see is only a drill.

"We have medics ready to make entry. Can you support with two personnel to escort them in."

"We have received a report from our school resource officer of a shooter in the school, shots fired."

It was not real, but Mason Police, firefighters, and school employees acted like it was.

Tracey Carson, Mason School Spokesperson: "Crisis planning is thinking about the unthinkable and that's what we're doing here today."

Student volunteers and teachers knew something was coming ... but not exactly what, until the drill began.

"All officers be advised we're going to have officers bring medics into your hallways. Maintain security of your hallways until we can start the evacuation process."

The scenario ... not one school shooter, but two. And, in an unfolding crisis ...first word was the shooters were secured ... but it was unclear if that meant captured or dead.

Sgt. Paul Lindenschmidt, Mason Police: "There are a number of injured students in the building, we have some officers who have been injured, also firefighters and paramedics."

Besides practicing police procedures ... enter in four-person teams, rather than waiting for the SWAT team to mobilize, the drill also covered getting students out and off the campus ...and parents showing up in a panic.

Colleen Roe, Parent Volunteer: "They told me that my son was in here and that I'm supposed to go to Hope Church. But I have to come, because I live two subdivisions away and I have to get him out of there. I don't know what's wrong with him."

That was, of course, acting. But if this was real, multiply that emotion times hundreds. It was not too long ago that Columbine was just a flower, 9/11 was just a couple of numbers, and Virginia Tech was just a school. Not any more and that's why this was happening today.

"It can happen anywhere, it can happen here."

"Level three confirmed secure."

Jeff Hirsh Local 12.

Today's imaginary crisis began with a dispute between a boyfriend and girlfriend, both of whom had guns. In today's mock scenario...both of the shooters ended up "dead" ... along with 6 other students and rescuers. Eight people were "injured" in the drill. But again, the deaths and injuries were only make-believe.