Paris ISD’s Police Department Conducts Mock Lockdown Drill

The Paris Independent School District Police Department conducted a mock lockdown drill on Friday at Lamar County Head Start as a training exercise in emergency and crisis procedures. PISD Chief Brad Ruthart and Officer Frank Mooney were assisted by Paris Police Department Assistant Chief Randy Tuttle and Captain Joseph Nelms.

The training exercise is designed to teach appropriate responses to potential threats inside school campuses. The drill practices “locks, lights, out of sight,” and students are ushered out of the hallways, all classroom doors are locked, lights are turned off, and students in the classroom can’t be seen from the windows. And nobody talks.

During this time, the entire campus is on lockdown. Police officers are the sole individuals who have access to the campus. When it was over, Director Eva Williams and officers gathered to talk about how it went and what they could do differently next time.