Roseville Police Practice School Shooting Response Tactics

There has never been a school shooting in Roseville, but police want to be prepared for one just in case.

Every six weeks, the Roseville Police Department spends time training, and Tuesday half of the department practiced responses to various school shooting scenarios.

"We're preparing for the unthinkable here," department spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther said. "We want to make sure we're ready ... for anything that happens."

Lt. Cal Walstad said variety is important: officers spent Tuesday at Woodcreek and Roseville high schools, as well as Silverado Middle School. Each campus is laid out differently, presenting unique challenges for officers, he said.

In several drills Tuesday morning at Woodcreek, officers carried mock firearms through the school, checking darkened classrooms for volunteers roleplaying as victims or an armed suspect. They received tips on how they could better give themselves an advantage over the suspect or better protect fellow officers.

Gunther said the police department hopes publicizing its training exercises and touting its preparedness can also act as a deterrent against violence.

"Thankfully we've never had an active shooter scenario, and we hope we never do," Gunther said.

The rest of the department will practice the drills on June 28, Walstad said.

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