SAN ANTONIO – Having learned from past school shooting incidents, North East ISD is preparing for the future with its new eight-man team, which will face the most serious situations should they arise.
“I have a group of officers that will be trained, equipped and have the mindset that, if something does happen, they will respond,” North East ISD Police Chief Wally McCampbell said.
He said the team was hand-selected to ensure members can be prepared for the worst.
“If you go back over the history of school shooters, there is a kind of common element that you have in all of them,” McCampbell said. “You had responding agencies that didn’t engage immediately.”
Those selected have to pass several tests in leadership, fitness and firearms.
“There is a firearm qualification where the TCOLE mandate is a 70 or better to be considered passing. What we did was raise that to 90% to be a part of this team,” McCampbell said.
On top of the physical abilities, the selected candidates also had to be interviewed to make sure they had the right mindset.
“‘Why do they want to be a part of this team?’ If it’s money, ego. If it’s thinking that all they’re going to do is sit around and wait for that call to come in,” McCampbell said.
McCampbell said the officers’ primary objective is to protect the students.
The eight-man team will be broken into four teams of two and operate as regular patrol officers on a day-to-day basis unless there is an emergency.
This is part of the reason each team of two will receive a truck equipped to carry all their gear.
McCampbell said the truck will carry long rifles, extra ammunition and other tactical items.
