Mississippi College Hosts Police Emergency Training Drills May 26

A Clinton Police Department SWAT team will work with Mississippi College Department of Public Safety officers on emergency drills on the Clinton campus May 26.

The training will help Clinton police enhance their emergency procedures and familiarity with the Christian university’s facilities. The campus drills that Thursday are scheduled from midday through late afternoon.

The event will also improve cooperative efforts between Mississippi College and Clinton police, says Brent Perkins, a supervisor with the MC Department of Public Safety.

“We are happy to allow our emergency response teams to utilize MC’s campus to train for events that certainly never want in reality to experience,” said Steve Stanford, MC vice president for administration and government relations.

“In doing so, we have the opportunity to review our campus procedures to make sure we are prepared to respond to and potentially mitigate the impact of such threats,” Stanford added.

In recent years, many college campuses and communities nationwide have beefed-up security, training exercises and procedures after the horrific April 16, 2007 shooting rampage at Virginia Tech. The shootings on the Blacksburg, Va. that day were sparked by a single gunman, who was a Virginia Tech student. The tragedy left 32 dead and many others wounded.

On May 26, the main training activity at Mississippi College will utilize the New Women’s East and West residence halls. The event will consist of an active shooter scenario in university residence halls. A period of debriefing and interdepartmental training will follow, Perkins said.

MC leaders say they appreciate the men and women in law enforcement who put themselves in harm’s way to protect others.

“These are our public servants and we support and applaud their effort to train for difficult and sometimes dangerous service,” Stanford said.

The one-day training will occur while most MC students are away from the Clinton campus for the summer recess.

For more information, contact the MC Department of Public Safety at 601.925.3204.