Killeen ISD Police Chief Ralph Disher said getting to know the students can make all the difference.
"A lot of times these kids will come to us when they won’t come to an administrator to allow us to know what is about to happen or if somebody has posted a threat on social media,” Chief Disher said.
Threats that KISD officers are no strangers to.
In January, about two weeks after officers had completed active shooter training, a false report of a gunman inside Shoemaker High School forced plans into action.
"That allowed us to use that training that we had just learned to put into practice. Fortunately, it was false,” Chief Disher said.
The procedures and training for officers are continually updated and on-going.
Chief Disher said, "In the next month or two, we are going to be doing a kind of table top exercise that is an active shooter and it has various threats and shooters at different locations."
Partnering with Killeen, Harker Heights and Nolanville police makes training a coordinated effort.
"We have officers that are assigned to the high schools and middle school campuses, and then we also have patrol officers that take care of our elementary school campuses,” Chief Disher said.
Training that he hopes reassures parents and students alike.
“We are here to protect them but we want the parents to know that we are here to ensure their safety and to keep that communication.
