COLUMBIA - An active school shooter training session was conducted at John Warner Middle School Wednesday by the Columbia Police Department and Columbia Public Schools.
Emergency and police vehicles, along with SWAT teams, were also on the scene.
This training session happened in part because of concerns raised nationwide regarding school shootings, particularly following the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas that killed 21 people. It was closed to the public to ensure future safety in Columbia schools.
Lieutenant Clint Sinclair has been with the Columbia Police Department for over twelve years. He hopes this type of training can be beneficial for his department in regards to better handling of an active shooter situation inside a school.
“We try to make it as realistic as possible," Sinclair said. "As the commander of the SWAT team, you try to set up the best scenario possible."
Sinclair mentioned that conversations between CPD and CPS have been productive regarding future preparations for similar crisis situations.
"In the conversations I've had with CPS, we have already started discussing some things that we have learned and things they want to implement in the future," Sinclair said. "We get so much out of every single training session we're able to do."
Sinclair also told KOMU that this is not the last training exercise CPD will conduct. Rather, it is the first phase of a larger department-wide training plan that is going to continue throughout the next several months.
