Full Scale Training Exercise Provides Valuable Training to both Law Enforcement and School Officials

A full scale training exercise held Thursday on the Geary County campus of Cloud County Community College in Junction City provided valuable training for not only law enforcement but the school staff as well.

The exercise involved a male subject who had entered Building A on the campus and fired multiple shots, wounding a few victims. He then moved to Building C wounding a couple more victims along the way and then barricading himself inside a classroom of Building C with several hostages inside.

The Junction City/Geary County Tactical Response Unit then arrived on scene and treated it like a real life situation, sweeping both buildings and clearing the victims before forcing entry into the classroom with the armed subject.

During the exercise the “wounded” victims were taken by ambulance to Geary Community Hospital, who was also participating in the exercise and practicing their own lock down situation.

Following the exercise Sergeant Cory O’Dell, TRU Assistant Team Leader explained that it’s important to participate in training scenarios on a scale as large as Thursday’s exercise.

“You’re never as good as you want to be. We’ll take some things away from this, some things we think we can do better, maybe even a little faster. Although I thought our speed today was very, very good for this region,” said Sgt. O’Dell.

Brenda Edleston, Dean of the Geary County Campus of Cloud County Community College explained that she and the college will take a lot away from the exercise, even some small “trivial” things.

“The SWAT team needed keys, to have access to the building. I have a key ring with a dozen key’s on it, that does them no good at all. Just small things, reorganizing the way we approach our daily living here on campus to make sure we are ready in case a situation were to occur,” said Edleston.

The agencies involved in the exercise included Geary County Emergency Management, Cloud County Community College, Junction City Police Department, City/County Tactical Response Unit, Junction City Fire/EMS, Geary Community Hospital and the 911 Dispatch Center.