Clark County law enforcement practice shooting drill
Updated: January 22, 2013
CASEY -- Law enforcement in Clark County took part in a timely drill.They practiced what to do in case of a school shooting.
Casey-Westfield High School was locked down Monday for the drill. It was scheduled back in November, but last month's shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School really hammered home why the practice is important.
Casey-Westfield High School was locked down Monday for the drill. It was scheduled back in November, but last month's shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School really hammered home why the practice is important.
Students were out of school for the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday, but the practice was made to sound and feel like an actual shooting. A lieutenant from the Charleston Police Department played the "shooter." He shot blanks, set off alarms, even threw plastic pipe bombs to make the drill seem more realistic.
Mark Jenkins is the Casey Police Chief. He says a number of things happen when an officer is put in a high-stress situation like a school shooting.
"You get tunnel vision," says Jenkins. "People need to experience that, get revved up, so they know what to expect when it really does happen."
Officers from the Marshall Police Department, Illinois State Police and Clark County Sheriff's Office took part in the training as well. It gave the dozens of law enforcement officials a chance to practice clearing and sweeping a school. It's training that these departments hope will never be used, but officers say they want to be ready, no matter what.
"This department is trained. This town is trained. This district is prepared," said Jenkins. "We don't want to be an easy target so this is vitally important."
