Law enforcement meet with Tenn. schools to discuss active shooter situations

It’s an unfortunate part of a kid’s school curriculum, but law enforcement agencies statewide are meeting with schools to discuss active shooter situations and how to respond.

School won’t start for another week in Macon County, but the high school football team filled a class on the second floor on Tuesday for a lesson they hope to never use.

“We don’t think it would ever happen here,” said Macon County Sheriff Mark Gammons to the class. “But it could happen here.”

The class, and others of the like it, are being led by law enforcement across the county.

Active shooter training is offered yearly to Macon County schools, but is mandatory for teachers to attend every other year as part of in-service training.

“We’ve been teaching this probably about four or five years now, where we actually go to each school,” said Captain Larry West. “They make it part of their yearly in-service.”

RELATED: PDF: Active Shooter Study from 2000 to 2013

The drill on Tuesday was coordinated for News 2 and depicted an armed man making his way down the hallway.

Student and coaches were instructed to lock doors tight, hide, and seek opportunities to flee as soon as possible as the sheriff’s office and Lafayette police moved rapidly to take out the threat.

“I don’t know how much more important it could be when you’re dealing with students, and your kid’s lives,” said Sheriff Gammons.

A 13-year study by the Federal Bureau of Investigation found that 24.4 percent of all active shooter incidents take place in educational facilities.

Drills are now common throughout the state, an ever evolving scenario for an ever evolving threat.

“We have to adapt our training to the changing in the world,” said Captain West.

“I’ve had kids that go to school here in Macon County, so it’s very important to me,” added Sheriff Gammons. “Someday, I’ll have grandkids hopefully going to school here, so I want this county to be a safe place.”

Courtesy of WKRN’s News 2