Mock Drills Help Colleges Prepare for Threats

An audio version of this story.

“You can’t simulate a real incident…..so you try to get the officers well-prepared.  You know, we’re just trying to get people to practice the plan that they’ve got in place and make sure that it works properly and it works for their needs,” says John Newton, the emergency operations manager at the University of Georgia.

For example, Newton says the police use the drills to practice capturing a suspect and maintaining a sense of protection.  Counselors use the exercise to comfort those affected by an attack.

Earlier this week, the University of West Georgia held its own shooting drill.  Tom Mackel is the chief of the university’s police force.  He says it takes a lot of legwork to get these incidents organized.

“You know, because you have to sit there and start thinking about ‘OK….how is this scenario going to work.  What are we going to do?’  We try to make this very realistic for our officers.”

Schools also hold mock drills to prepare for severe weather threats like tornadoes. 

Mackel says all drills take a few hours, but he says the knowledge gained is long-lasting.