Preparing for the worst

TRURO - Gunfire resonates through a school hallway as armed police officers quickly move towards the last room on the right.
The scenario is a simulation, but Truro police officers move as if it were real. Part of police work requires training for the worst while hoping it never has to be implemented.
"It gets us thinking about the worst-case scenario and how to respond," Chief David MacNeil said after completing a rapid deployment session recently. "We hope that never happens, but you have to be prepared for the worst."
Truro police used the now vacant Alice Street Elementary School to conduct the training.
Five police officers, some dressed in uniform and others as plain-clothes officers, listen intently to two of the force's training officers explain each scenario. A debriefing after each search allows officers to ask questions about why things are done in certain ways. They are told time is of the essence in situations where someone is armed.
"The quicker we can get to the target ... ," one of the officers says, "the quicker this ends."
Two things quickly become evident. Officers must work as a team and trust the person next to them to follow their training.
Checking rooms must be done properly. Officers must move quickly, yet safely, while travelling through hallways, down stairways and around the various challenges each building brings. They do this in unison while remaining within arm's length of one another.
Watching them clear stairwells and hallways provides an insight to the dangers the job brings. Move around a corner too quickly and you're dead. A slight loss of focus and your partner is gone.
"Our whole philosophy in policing is trust in your partner," MacNeil said. "You can't do this job alone, especially if you go into a situation like this."
Officers across the country are trained to a national standard, ensuring that despite different police boundaries, searches are done safely and efficiently.

jmalloy@trurodaily.com