Officers from the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, El Cajon and La Mesa Police Departments, and the California Highway Patrol came to the Grossmont Community College campus to begin practice for emergency situations they could possibly face. The training lasted from 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. on Tuesday July 16 and Thursday July 18.
Officers from the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, El Cajon and La Mesa Police Departments, and the California Highway Patrol came to the Grossmont Community College campus to begin practice for emergency situations they could possibly face. The training lasted from 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. on Tuesday July 16 and Thursday July 18.
A few summer students and staff curiously looked inside the perimeter and surrounding areas of Building 55 as well as Parking Lot 5 on the Grossmont campus, which were marked off with bright yellow caution tape.
Observers also included photographers, members of the Emergency Operations team, some of the Grossmont administration as well as Joel Javines, Chief of Police at Grossmont. They gathered close to the caution tape as the officer participants engaged in active shooting and hostage scenarios.
During these scenarios, teams were engaged in real life emergency situations, they checked classrooms to ensure they were empty as well as found and protected trained students who were shooting victims in one of the classrooms.
Once two teams went through this scenario, Lieutenant Roy Frank said their ultimate goal is to take control and keep people said.
“Each deputy that comes here, they don’t know exactly what they are getting into. We try to make it as live as possible, as real possible,” said Frank. “In law enforcement or emergency services, in general, it all comes down to training. When an event happens and the stress is there, typically you fall back on your training.”
Frank said the responses to having these kinds of exercises at a school were received positively by the community. Most were happy they were protecting the students and staff the best they could.
