Shooting Drill
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, June 26, 2012
By Billy Davis
It didn’t go down Monday.
Four days now remain for the school-shooting scenario at Batesville Junior High, known as “Active Shooter.”
Batesville police are alerting the public about the training scenario, which will include real-time involvement from local law enforcement, paramedics, and Batesville firefighters.
“We do want the citizens to be aware there is a police training exercise under way,” said BPD Deputy Chief Don Province.
Province said people who listen to radio traffic on scanners will hear communications peppered with words like “scenario” or “training exercise.”
Panola County’s first-ever “Active Shooter” scenario was held in 2010 at South Panola High, where law enforcement from local and state agencies swarmed the campus to react to a “school shooting.”
After an hour-long scenario two “shooters” were arrested and one was “killed” by authorities.
Batesville police endured communication problems in 2010 on their radios and Province said Monday that officers would focus on improving that this week. The training will also allow the department to evaluate the chain of command and evaluate its tactics inside the school.
The deputy chief said the police department has several openings for patrol officers so it will show up at the school undermanned — yet another real-life scenario for police to evaluate.
Daniel Cole, director of Panola County Emergency Management, is working with the Miss. Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) to plan the “Active Shooter” scenario.