Lt. Conor Duffy, of the NYS University Police at Morrisville, responds to shots fired during an emergency drill held May 28 on the Morrisville State campus. (Photo by Nicolas Murphy, public relations assistant).
By Franci Valenzano, Public Relations Associate
(Morrisville, NY – June 2, 2014) Teams of police stormed Morrisville State College last week, acting as first responders on the scene as part of an active shooter drill.
Approximately 50 uniformed officers from six different agencies reacted to multiple situations that were staged in Charlton and Hamilton halls as part of the emergency preparedness drill put on by the NYS Office of Homeland Security.
“We wanted to make this as realistic as possible,” said Enrico D’Alessandro, NYS University Police chief at Morrisville State.
The NYS Office of Homeland Security provided the instructors and equipment for the exercise. Officers were armed, but no live ammunition was used.
The purpose of the drill was to allow all organizations to test their emergency preparedness in an economical and effective manner and in a campus setting.
“This mock drill is an important and essential part of the college’s emergency preparedness efforts,” D’Alessandro said. “We hope nothing like this ever happens, but we need to train and be prepared.”
Several areas of the campus were used as specified locations for the drill and were closed to visitors and the general public.
In one scenario clusters of officers from various agencies rushed in formation looking for an “active shooter” after a hail of gunfire echoed down a hallway.
“We do this (emergency drill) when resources are available because we need to be prepared to offer the highest level of protection to our students and faculty and staff,” said D’Alessandro, who coordinated a large-scale emergency drill on campus in 2011.
The recent emergency drill was held in conjunction with the NYS Police (NYSP), NYS University Police (NYSUP), NYS Office of Homeland Security, Madison County Sheriff’s Department, Cazenovia Police, and Chittenango Police.