MILTON, Ga. — Law enforcement in North Fulton has completed a large-scale active shooter training exercise designed to simulate how officers and school personnel would respond to a deadly attack inside a school campus.
The training included media questions by Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter.
The drill, conducted by the Milton Police Department recreated the chaos, urgency and uncertainty of a real-world crisis, including the presence of media, Kleinpeter reports.
Officials with the Milton Police Department said the goal was to push first responders to operate under pressure, with evolving scenarios meant to challenge decision-making in real time.
During the exercise, Sgt. David Little said realism was a key part of the training design.
“I’m trying to make the incident command post as chaotic as possible,” Little said. “We try to make sure the officers are ready for just about anything.”
The scenario began with simulated “shots fired” inside a school campus, followed by rapid police response, movement through the building and coordination at an incident command post.
From the outside, the drill closely resembled a real emergency, with officers running toward the scene and securing the area as part of the exercise.
But officials emphasized the situation was entirely controlled and staged as part of advanced training.
“We try to make sure the officers are ready for just about anything,” Little said.
Uniquely, the exercise also incorporated simulated media interactions with Channel 2 working alongside officers in real time to mirror how information would be requested and disseminated during a crisis.
Kleinpeter participated in the drill, approaching officials with questions and a microphone as events unfolded.
Officials said that element is critical because communication during a crisis can shape public understanding and response as much as tactical operations inside a building.
“You never know when Channel 2 is down the street reporting on something else, and they hear something and they decide they want to pop in,” Little said.
He added that integrating media into the scenario forces command staff to manage information flow under pressure, just as they would in a real incident.
“I’m trying to make the incident command post as chaotic as possible, and y’all being involved with it was something out of left field that they didn’t expect and threw them for a loop,” Little said. “And they handled the situation.”
The Milton PD said it will now conduct a full after-action review of the drill, evaluating what worked well and where improvements can be made.
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