Nearly two dozen East Bay police officers spent a week with the Department of Homeland Security in an intense training to better-prepare to handle mass shootings.
Officers practiced responding to a deadly school shooting at Pinole Valley HIgh School, complete with mock victims and an active lone shooter.
“You get an elevated heart rate you feel you’re in what is as best simulated as possible an active shooter threat,” said Pinole Police Officer Amy Eubanks.
One by one, officers from the Pinole, Clayton and Oakland police departments, among others, took turns responding to the threat, alone.
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“One of the important things we found is the longer you wait the more people might be dying,” said Jim Gort of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. “So we teach a single response tactic.”
Under the close watch of trainers from the Department Homeland Security’s Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, each officer put skills they learned all week to the test. First, neutralizing the shooter, then working to save victims.
“Once that threat is stopped, we teach them and give them equipment to start saving lives,” said Gort.
Pinole Police Chief Neil Gang has been planning the regional training for months and said it’s crucial to be ready.
“Them understanding they have the courage inside them to go into an incident alone and handle something like this is really important for their success and psyche,” said Gang.
“I hope to never be in this situation especially since this is our high school, but it’s important because you never know with the current climate you never know,” said Eubanks. “I hope we never encounter it but what if we are? I feel our police department is prepared for it.”
