RIO HONDO – The Rio Hondo Independent School District Police Department hosted an Active Shooter Level 1 exercise at the high school and middle school Aug. 16-17 and Aug.18-19, respectively. The drill was to help local law enforcement agencies work strategically, cohesively and effectively should a situation ever arise.
Taught by the Texas Highway Patrol, the course was designed to prepare first responders to isolate, distract, and neutralize an active shooter. It covered shooting and moving, threshold evaluation, concepts and principles of team movement, set up and room entry techniques. Officers from RHISD and several other local law enforcement agencies attended the event.
RHISD Police Chief Nick Garza arranged the session in the wake of the school tragedy in Uvalde, Texas.
“No matter how strong your force, you can never have too much training. I was pleased to see so many local agencies join us to sharpen their tactical skills and work better together,” Garza said. “We all want the same thing: to keep the children of our community as safe as possible.”
Interim Superintendent Raul Trevino is grateful Garza took the initiative to spearhead the active shooter event.
“As educators, we never stop learning, we never stop improving. We expect the same of our police department,” Trevino said. “We will continue to fully support their continued learning as well as their partnerships with other law enforcement departments. The better prepared they are, the safer our students will be.”
“The safety of our students will always be our top priority,” Trevino added.
Officers from the following local law enforcement agencies participated in the Active Shooter Level 1 training: Cameron County Constable’s Office (Precincts 3, 4 and 5), Cameron County Communications, Los Fresnos Police Department, Rio Hondo Police Department, San Benito Police Department and Texas Army National Guard.