Armed Cops Storm Florida School, Scare Students During Drill

11/17/2014

Students thought someone was going to kill them when AR-15-toting officers bursted into their classrooms.

When armed police officers charged into classrooms at Polk County’s Jewett Middle Academy Thursday, students and teachers thought they were really under attack.

After all, the Winter Haven Police officers had their weapons drawn. Students and teachers on the campus weren’t privy to the fact it was a planned active shooter drill.

Seventh-grader Lauren Marionneaux told Fox News when the officers came into her class, she was in fear for her life.

“We actually thought that someone was going to come in there and kill us,” the station quoted her as saying.

One of the officers was carrying an AR-15 assault rifle, Fox reported.

There was no active shooter, however. The police action was a training session meant to gauge officer response in the event of an actual shooter situation.

“These types of drills are vital in order to evaluate not only law enforcement response, but more importantly to educate the students and school officials in case an actual event were to occur,” Chief Charlie Bird said in an email to media.

Parents were notified via email of the drill after it was over. Many parents, however, received panicked texts from their children as it was going on, Fox reported. Those parents thought there was a shooter on campus.

Not announcing a drill before it happens is standard protocol to make the training session as real as possible, Bird said. Even so, other school districts reserve this type of training for empty buildings during school breaks, the station reported.

In light of the outrage, Winter Haven is changing its policy in regard to arming officers during drills.

“Winter Haven Police have evaluated procedures regarding these drills for the schools located within the city limits of Winter Haven,” an email to media from the department stated. “Further lock-down drills that occur at schools within the city limits of Winter Haven will be performed by uniformed officers without weapons.”

Active shooter drills have become commonplace in recent times as reports of school shootings continue to make headlines. Many Tampa Bay area law enforcement agencies, including Hillsborough and Pasco counties, do conduct drills, but only when classes are out. A recent drill in the Miami area took place when students were out of school, but staff was present to learn from the experience.

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