Page 42 - Security Today, May/June 2025

C A M P U S V I E W P O I N T
HOW REALISTIC SHOULD ACTIVE
SHOOTER DRILLS BE?
ABY B R E N T major part of school security is preparedness for the unthinkable. Active
shooter drills are one way to prepare students, teachers, and administra-
tors for an event.
D I R K S But law enforcement and school districts continue to struggle with the
M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 5
question of how realistic should these drills be. In early April, at Snowflake High
School in Snowflake, Arizona, the school conducted an unannounced drill.
According to local news station 12News, instead of bell for a drill, a “more seri-
ous” bell rang.
School District Superintendent Hollis Merrell described the bell to the station:
“It audibly says, ‘This is not a drill,’ but it doesn’t give any indication as to what
may be happening at the school. It’s just locked down. This is not a drill. The police are
on their way,” Merrell said.
The Taylor-Snowflake Police Department approached the school to make the ac-
tive shooter drill more realistic. It was designed to mimic a real emergency situation.
Because of the approach, students, some staff, and parents were unaware of the
drill. Some students assumed the worse and texted parents that there was an active
shooter on campus.
Police Chief Robert Martin said the unannounced drill idea came after a previous
drill in late 2024 where he felt students were not taking the drill seriously.
Obviously, students should take every drill seriously. But that sometimes doesn’t happen. High schoolers can
simply be high schoolers and not understand how important drills are to prepare the school community.
I understand Chief Martin’s frustrations, but the unannounced drill likely took the situation too far.
Communication and trust between everyone are undeniably important parts of school security at any level. While
students at Snowflake High School will likely start taking drills more seriously, why dent those bonds between the
school, community at large, and law enforcement? There are better ways to make the point.
Brent Dirks
bdirks@1105media.com
C A M P U S S E C U R I T Y T O D AY T E A M
PUBLISHER: ralph c. jensen; EDITOR: brent dirks; SENIOR ART DIRECTOR: laurie layman; PRINT MEDIA TECHNICIAN: joanne kim;
INTEGRATED MEDIA CONSULTANT–U.S.: brian rendine, 972.687.6761; INTEGRATED MEDIA CONSULTANT–U.K. & EUROPE: sam baird, +44 1883 715 697
INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTIONS GROUP
PRESIDENT: dan labianca; PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF: ralph c. jensen; CIRCULATION DIRECTOR: tillie carlin; WEBINAR ADMINISTRATOR: tammy renne
1 1 0 5 M E D I A , I N C . E X E C U T I V E T E A M
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICE: rajeev kapur; CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: sanjay tanwani; CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER: eric a. lindgren; EXECUTIVE VICE
PRESIDENT: michael j. valenti;
C O N N E C T W I T H U S
EDITORS AND CONTACT INFORMATION: available at www.campussecuritytoday.com; CORPORATE OFFICE: m-f, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. pt,
818.814.5200, 6300 canoga avenue, suite 1150, woodland hills, ca 91367
6