WATCH NOW: 2 calls reporting believed 'shooter' at Lake Central High School prompted emergency response, official says
The Lake County 911 executive director said that the center's staff members are trained for active assailant scenarios, which encapsulates active shooters and potential active shooters.
“In these situations, caller questions are abbreviated, and focus is kept on keeping the caller safe while information is provided as quickly as possible to law enforcement to ensure an immediate response with the most information possible,” Swiderski said.
Superintendent Larry Veracco voiced his appreciation to each facet of the public safety response Wednesday.
“I would like to say that after today’s response I have a much deeper admiration for the ability of law enforcement and public safety officials to come to the aid of a school like ours when there’s a perception of a potential problem,” Veracco said. “It gives us a lot of confidence in the ability of our local people and our SROs to mobilize others to help if it had been a true serious safety threat.”
Both the police chief and the superintendent said the thorough and large response was a sign of the times.
“I think what triggers this response is that it’s happening across the nation,” the superintendent said. “Not just at schools but at concert venues and theaters and other things. So there’s always a chance that someone hears something and it sounds familiar and it ends up being perhaps being an overreach, but as the chief said earlier, better safe than sorry.”
