DUNMORE, Pa. — An intense day of training for officers with the Dunmore Police Department, preparing for an active shooter situation.
"This community knows as well as any that we can have this happen here. We had a plan last year to blow up the school and kill me and the principal. It was thwarted because someone gave us the information," said Bill Springer, Dunmore Police Captain.
"It's incredibly unfortunate that we have to have this training, but unfortunately, with the lack of federal response to these school shootings, it's kind of every small municipality for themselves," said Max Conway, Dunmore mayor.
With shootings around the country at the forefront of their minds, the halls of Dunmore High School became the backdrop for various scenarios officers could face.
"I have things built into the drills that will get their adrenaline flowing and cause them to get an accelerated heart rate, and then they will have to make a decision," said Conway.
"Calling out commands, walking you through it, telling you what to do, it gets very loud and distracting," said Madison Cruser, role player.
The Dunmore Police captain says their officers would be first on the scene in the event of an emergency, so their first course of action is to get inside to neutralize the threat.
"We want to make sure we are providing the best possible service to the community and the kids that are inside this building and the families that are dependent on keeping them safe," said Springer.
Other police departments in the area go through similar training to work together if called to the same incident.
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