St. Clair County sheriff wants to reassure community following school shooting in Tennessee

Liz Shepard
Port Huron Times Herald
St. Clair County Sheriff Mat King is interviewed Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in his office at the St. Clair County Jail.

St. Clair County Sheriff Mat King released a statement following Monday's mass shooting inside a Tennessee school, reminding families to report concerns and that free gun locks are available at the department.

“My heart goes out to those affected by the most recent school shootings. I want to assure our community that St. Clair County has procedures in place in the event of a crisis such as this,” King said in a statement. 

Three children and three staff members will killed in the assault by a 28-year-old Nashville resident.

"So soon after the tragic shooting at Michigan State University, this incident is a stark reminder that school safety must be one of our nation’s top priorities," the press release read.

The sheriff department has three, and soon to be four, deputies who spend 100% of their workday at the schools they are assigned to. The deputies have extensive training on how to handle an active shooter situation, according to the press release. 

Over the last month, all deputies have gone through mock active shooter scenarios both in and out of the classroom. 

"Although they hope to never have to utilize this training, we recognize the importance of it and dedicate a significant amount of time preparing for the worst," the press release stated. The sheriff department also has gun locks free of charge through Project Child Safe.

The sheriff department said reporting threats or concerns to school safety can be made to 911, (810) 985-8115 or https://ok2say.state.mi.us/.

A woman sits in front of the makeshift memorial at the entrance to the Covenant School Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Three children and three school staff members were killed by a former student in Monday’s mass shooting.