North Port police practice active school shooter drill

More than 100 Police Officers in North Port are practicing drills to be ready in case of an active shooter early Tuesday morning.

126 officers in total are running the active shooter training drills at the Imagine Schools in North Port.

Nicolas Cruz’s trial happening in Broward County is a grim reminder of what school violence looks like. 17 people were killed and 17 more were hurt. And the tragic events in Uvalde, Texas.

These events weigh heavily on the minds of police everywhere. The cops in North Port allowed WINK News to get a peek at how they train for the absolute worst. The gunshots heard are all part of the drill, but the urgency, they said, is absolutely real.

You are supposed to practice how you’re going to perform. “With an active threat on a school campus, it’s their job to find that threat…” Officer Jarod Peer with the North Port Police Department said.

And, they have to find that threat on their own. That’s right, the training is one officer at a time against an active shooter. “It’s a gunshot,” Peer said. “And then they have to go find that subject. They may or may not see that subject.”

Tactics that are so critical and important that WINK News cameras couldn’t show all of them.

“Once the officers learn, hey, this is how I what I need to do,” Peer said. “It makes things faster and makes them response faster and more efficient and safer for everybody overall.”

These drills are hopefully an indicator that gives parents and students a greater sense of safety and security going into the school year.

“By going through these trainings, we hope to build those relationships with our community members,” Peer said. “And hopefully, they have the confidence in us knowing that we are going to be there for them.”

The goal of the training, which began at 2 a.m. Tuesday, is for every officer to pass the drill. This, in turn, continues to push for better responses during a potential active shooter.