July 25, 2011

Contact:   Bill Giduz

As Sgt. Scott Searcy observes from behind, officers (l-r) Jack Jackson, David Linker, Jay Stokes and Phil Geiger advance down a hallway in search of a hidden gunman.

“Active shooter!”

It’s the worst nightmare in academe. In light of student killings at Columbine, Virginia Tech and elsewhere, law enforcement agencies have implemented communication technology to make schools and campuses safer. Davidson has installed a campus-wide warning system of sirens and instant voice and text messages to warn students about emergencies.

But a warning system can only do so much. In the end it is usually police officers putting themselves in harm’s way who stop a shooter. With that in mind, regular rapid response training is as important as regularly testing the warning system.

Davidson town police chief Jeanne Miller and Davidson College police chief Adrienne Murray are working to make sure their forces are ready to act cooperatively and efficiently in emergency situations, including a shooter at the college. They took a step in that direction about two months ago with a day of joint training on a shoot/don’t shoot scenario simulator at Central Piedmont Community College north.

Miller and Murray got together again this week for further instruction and practice of strategies to stop the unlikely event of a shooting on campus. “We are very pleased that our two departments are able to collaborate, train and plan together,” said Murray. “Town officers are our backup on campus, so it makes sense that everyone knows how to react together if the need arises. We plan to work regularly with them on critical incident response and other law enforcement topics.”

The police forces each employ about 20 full- and part-time officers.

Town police sergeant Scott Searcy, who has taken State of North Carolina training in rapid deployment, presided over the recent active shooter training session. The college and town officers began the day with classroom instruction in Chambers Building about deadly force law and response tactics. It was an opportunity for town and college officers to get better acquainted, and a building walk-through provided town officers a better understanding of the Chambers floor plan.

Then came the hands-on part. The group moved to the empty confines of the Community School of Davidson for role-playing exercises. Searcy hid an officer designated as the shooter among the classrooms and hallways, and sent response teams of four officers to locate the shooter and resolve the situation.

Officers involved in the simulation included (l-r) Jay Stokes, Forrest Comb, Nicholas O'Brien and Tim Taylor.

The response teams had been trained to advance quickly down the hall in “T” formation, with three officers abreast in front and one in the middle behind with radio equipment and eye toward the rear. Participants wore body armor and helmets to protect against the sting of plastic pellets from the aerosol handguns they used in the exercise.

The shooters acted out different scenarios, testing police on their ability to think quickly and appropriately. Officers faced situations such as immediate gunfire, surrender, hostages being shot, threats of suicide, hostages as human shields, and even a hand grenade. They had to instantly decide whether the shooter represented a deadly threat that they should shoot, or a lesser threat that warranted capture.

Searcy observed the scenarios, and debriefed with the officers about their actions. From the nervous laughter and sighs of relief after each exercise, it was obvious that officers felt some degree of the mental and physical strain that a real emergency would create. “Even though it was just role playing with non-lethal guns, my hands were sweating and my heart was racing,” said town officer Jay Stokes.

Searcy said the most important instruction of the day was around movement techniques and room entry. He said, “Because they could be on a response team with officers they don’t know, it’s important that everyone learn the roles of each team member so they can occupy any position and act in concert with the other three.”

Tim Ramsey, an officer on the college force, could recall only one incident with a gun on campus in his 34 years of work here. He conceded that it could happen again any time, and appreciated the opportunity for refresher training. He said, “Though we all know the town officers, we don’t work with them every day. The training gave us that opportunity, so that if we ever are called to respond to an emergency we won’t lose time talking about what we need to do.”

Sgt. Searcy said officers should undergo emergency response training annually. “We like to think it’ll never happen here,” he said. “But as law enforcement officers, we have to train for everything.”

Chief Murray noted emergencies don’t always include criminal behavior. She plans for more joint training in the future around the need to evacuate residents because of hazardous material leaks or an incident at the McGuire Nuclear Station, and to help in disruptive or destructive weather.

Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,900 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding Honor Code is central to student life at the college.
###

 

###