UPPER MARLBORO, Md. -
One of the first things people ask after a tragedy like the one in Colorado occurs is: "Could it happen here?" And then they want to know if police are prepared to deal with it.
A training exercise at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Prince George's County on Friday couldn't have been timed any better to answer those questions.
"Remember what you're trained to do, rapid response to the threat," an instructor tells the officers before the drill begins.
Having it fall on the very day when the nation is gripped by the tragic shooting in Colorado that left at least a dozen dead only adds to the sense of urgency. The officers are being trained to deal with a shooting at a school, but this could have easily have been at a shopping center or movie theater.
"Officer down! Officer down!" the officers shout as they enter the school and see the fake carnage.
They want it to be as realistic as possible so officers can see and feel the same level of stress they might have if the shooting was real.
"Talk to each other, think about what you have," a safety officer shouts.
This exercise involved police, fire, school security staff, communications specialists and hostage negotiators to name a few.
Goal No. 1 was simple.
"The most important thing is to mitigate the danger. Get the innocents out of harm's way," Davis says.
Prince George's County emergency crews do big mock training drills like this a couple times a year. Police say the public has a role to play too in any disaster too.
"Whether you're all a movie theater, a shopping center, if you see something suspicious, call the police," Davis says.
