By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

While seeing a police force burst through a school is a frightening scenario, yesterday the Hays Police Department Special Situations Response Team did just that in a training exercise, in order to be prepared for an active shooter scenario, should it ever occur in Hays.

These training sessions are used “to prepare ourselves if we have something like that,” said HPD Corp. Brandon Hauptman.

The HPD conducted the training throughout the day at Roosevelt Elementary School, 2000 MacArthur, using special tactical equipment.

“We like to use the schools because we want to be familiar with the environment we are in,” Hauptman said. “If this is the place it could happen, we want to make sure we are familiar with the buildings.”

The training included single, two, three and team response training from a real event scenario, meaning the officers participating carried with them what they would have available during regular patrols.

“Typically an active shooter response would be from the patrol level.” Hauptman said. “All officers would have their issued handgun with them, we all carry 9mm now…there could be officers that aren’t on the team that go, but everyone is going to have either a patrol shotgun, or patrol rifle that they bring in.”

While the training is necessary and carries with it a small element of danger, the HDP conducts these training sessions with great care and safety, according to a statement made by the HPD before the training.

Hauptman said the team trains for this kind of scenario approximately once a year.