Police in Monterey (California) train to respond to mass shootings

(TNS) — If you were in Marina Friday morning and noticed signs and military officials cordoning off certain parts of Gigling Road and Sixth Army Avenue, don’t worry — it was just a drill. Local emergency services were participating in a drill to test their response to an active shooter situation.

The Presidio of Monterey Police Department and the Presidio of Monterey Fire Department participated in the exercise at the former Fort Ord Community Exchange in Marina. At around 8:45 a.m., police received a 911 call that there was a shooting in the building. The department responded quickly and began clearing the building and searching for the perpetrators – the exercise lasted about 40 minutes.

“It’s really important to be prepared for any emergency response. We chose an active shooter because it’s currently at the top of the list of the biggest threats we see,” said Joseph Alfonso, Garrison Safety Manager for the Presidio of Monterey.

All of the officers’ weapons were replaced with dummy weapons, blue and orange plastic pistols that reduce the risk of injury during training. As they entered the building, officers quickly cleared each room, calmly communicating with each other as they entered and exited a room and calling “clear” once they were sure there was nothing to discuss in that room.

“The purpose of these exercises is to utilize and practice our communication plans with our emergency partners and strengthen our emergency protocols,” said Paul Lerma, police chief of the Presidio of Monterey. “That was definitely accomplished.”

The Presidio Police Department conducts at least two large-scale drills a year, with a “mini drill” held every quarter, according to Lerma. Officers on duty during the drill undergo training while officers are on call to respond to regular calls from the public.

“When you look at current events across the country, it’s an event that we need to acknowledge,” said Bob Martin Del Campo, emergency management officer for the Presidio of Monterey. “Because the environment has changed, this is an issue that we need to address… because of everything we’ve experienced, it’s a chosen scenario.”

The police were accompanied by assessors from the agencies involved, who documented their response and ensured that all safety protocols were followed. Further down in the operations center, other officers monitored everything, further evaluated the response and communicated with the emergency services.

“We always follow the rule of thumb of ‘crawl, walk and run,'” Alfonso said. “Based on our training history, we are currently in the ‘walk’ phase, so our skills are being built and our tactical techniques and procedures are being improved. The most important thing right now is coordination between our emergency operations center and the incident command here.”

At the operations center, law enforcement officers, administrative officials and IT staff manage the communication channels between soldiers on the ground and the Presidio. They also inform garrison commander Col. Daniel Antino and his deputy Stephen Bickel of what is happening and what support is needed.

The Presidio of Monterey’s Public Information Department was also at the center, practicing how it would collect and disseminate information to the public in the event of a real emergency.

“Everyone who contributes to the Baserun leaves their normal work routine, comes to the emergency operations center and plans how to return to some degree of normality after the event,” said Martin Del Campo.

Lerma said officers prepare physically and mentally for the high-pressure training by getting enough sleep, exercising regularly and eating properly. After the training, the department conducts a thorough internal assessment of the physical and mental state of the officers who participate, Lerma said.

When firefighters arrived on scene, the building had already been evacuated. Two officers accompanied firefighters through the building to assess any casualties and treat any injuries.

“I think it went well,” said Alfonso. “Of course there will be comments afterwards and there is always room for improvement.”

“The combination of all these people trying to achieve a common goal” is the biggest challenge of the exercise, said Martin Del Campo. The Presidio coordinated the execution of the exercise with Marina, Seaside, Carmel, the Naval Postgraduate School, the Naval Support Activity School and others.

Later this month, the agencies will attend a debriefing session to discuss how the exercise went, address any mistakes made and make recommendations for the next training event.

©2024 MediaNews Group, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.