‘Active Shooter’ trains for worst case
Rebecca Gourley
Reporter
The Goldendale Police Department (GPD) is preparing for possible tough situations in this small town. Saturday, a group of city police officers participated in “Active Shooter Response,” an annual training exercise. This year the training exercise took place in the Klickitat County Court House.
“An ‘active shooter’ is somebody who has entered into a public place and is currently and actively shooting innocent citizens,” said GPD Lieutenant Reggie Bartkowski.
Surprisingly, most of the officers actually were not very familiar with the Court House and the location of all the rooms before the training session began. They learned the layout of the building very quickly.
Bartkowski set up three different scenarios for the three teams of officers to train in.
The first was a situation where the panic button in Superior Court was activated; a team of three officers responded to the scene. The panic button in the court house, when triggered, sends an alert to the police that there is an emergency in that building or room, similar to dialing 9-1-1. Two “shooters” (Tom Fitzgibbens and Tim O’Neill) were in Superior Court along with four “hostages” (Susan and Gordie Kelsey, and Aimee and Jesse Bartkowski).
Fitzgibbens is a Canine Control Officer for Animal Control, and O’Neil is currently the Klickitat County Prosecuting Attorney.
The second scenario was a hostage situation located in East District Court. The small and confined area made it hard for responding police officers to assess the situation well. Fitzgibbens was the villain in this one, while O’Neill was the hostage.
“I don’t think we’re going to encounter anything this radical here [in Goldendale],” said Officer Kevin Dyment, a 22-year veteran of the GPD. The simulated situations Saturday were intended to represent the worst scenarios possible; while such situations could happen in Goldendale, it is unlikely that they would be of this scale. But the GPD wants to be prepared for anything.
The third scenario was “a lot like Columbine,” said Bartkowski. The two shooters were actively trying to kill off the police officers. This scenario was more of a free-for-all for the shooters. “I’m taking off the reins for this one,” Bartkowski stated right before he dispatched the initial call. The two shooters were running around the two floors of the courthouse, rather than in one room. This scenario required a lot of communication and quick thinking for the team of officers.
Each team had a different plan about assessing each scenario. In the third situation, the first two teams entered from the North entrance, but the third team entered from the East entrance. The officers responded with slight variations from team to team, demonstrating their ability to handle the same situation effectively but differently. During the training, the officers took it seriously and didn’t joke around until after Bartkowksi ended the session.
The main objective for the training exercise was to familiarize the officers with the right mindset in this type of situation. According to Bartkowski, “This is one of the toughest obstacles to overcome.” The officers have to be in a mindset that will enable them to shoot the villain with the intention to kill them. They also have to seek the threat, not the victims. In an active shooter situation, the intention of the officers is to secure the area, not to tend to the victims. After the shooter(s) are down, the officers would then let the medics know that the building or area is secure, and to go ahead and care for the victims.
The following officers were present at the training: Chief Rick Johnson, Bartkowski, Sgt. Jay Hunziker, Sgt. Pat Kaley, Officer Kevin Dyment, Officer Leo Lucatero, Officer Mike Smith, Officer Stan Berkshire, Officer Chris Wyzykowski, and Officer Dwayne Matulovich.
All officers and shooters were using Simulators (SIMs), not real handguns, and they were loaded with paintball-like ammunition, not real bullets.
The cost of the entire training was about $2000, with $1000 going for the equipment and another $1000 for the overtime paid to the police officers. According to Bartkowski, though, the experience the officers get is “invaluable. Our community should be proud of the dedication that the officers put into their training and how seriously they take it."
The program has been held every year for the past three years in Goldendale. In recent years, the event was at the Goldendale Middle School (2009) and the Goldendale High School (2008).
Final candidate filings for this year
Filing for candidacy for Washington politcal office has ended; the deadline was Friday, June 11. The complete list of candidates for this year’s election is in.
The biggest change from early last week is in the number of candidates lined up to challenge U. S. Senator Patty Murray. The incumbent is faced with opposition from 14 different people of various political persuasions.
State Representative David Taylor is being challenged by Tom Silva.
The list of candidates for national, state (for this region), and local regional offices is as follows:
U. S. Senate: Norma D. Gruber, Mohammad H. Said, Goodspaceguy, Mike The Mover, Paul Akers, Mike Latimer, James (Skip) Mercer, Clint Didier, Schalk Leonard, Patty Murray, Bob Burr, William Edward Chovil, Dino Rossi, Charles Allen, and Will Baker.
U. S. House of Representatives for 4th congressional District: Leland Yialelis, Shane Fast, Rex A Brocki, Mary Ruth Edwards, Doc Hastings, and Jay Clough.
State Legislative District 15: Jim Honeyford (State Senator), Bruce Chandler (Pos. 1), Paul Spencer (Pos. 1), David Taylor (Pos. 2), and Thomas T. Silva (Pos. 2).
Klickitat County:
Commissioner 2 - David M. Sauter.
Assessor - Adam M. Dehart, Darlene Johnson, and Victoria Allen.
Auditor - Connie Kayser, Brenda Sorensen.
Clerk - Saundra Olson
Prosecuting Attorney - Dave Brown, Lori Hoctor, and Craig Juris.
Sheriff - Rick McComas
Treasurer - Dani Burton
East District Court - Rick Hansen, Gwendolyn L. Grundei, and Tim O'Neill.
Precinct Committee Officers:
Centerville - Kay Cameron
F Valley - Gary Clouse
Glenwood - Terry Arnold
Husum - Kenny Burrill
Lyle - Rosemary Hoyt, Dan Frey.
Mt. Brook - Janet Turner, Tom Anderson.
N-F Valley - Loretta DeKay, Jim Fritchey.
Pine Forest - Kathryn Moco.
Roosevelt - Bonnie Beeks
Trout Lake - Patricia Arnold, Janice DM Jones.
W Klickitat - Catherine Titchenal.
Orchard Heights - Shonnie K. Scarola.
Alderdale - Russ Rasmussen
E Lyle - Sharon Aleckson
Bingen - Sandra Dickey
Goldendale - Ruth M Bruns, Mary Ann Miller
Goldendale - Judith F. Cleary
WT Salmon - Brooke LeBlanc, Dell Rhodes, and Gary "Mike" Calloway
N WT Salmon - Adrian Bradford.
Area students honored
Area students are achieving distinction through scholarships, degrees, and honor rolls.
Leigh Montgomery’s scholarships were inadvertently left out of last week’s list of Goldendale High School’s scholarship winners. She won the PEO Chapter AM Scholarship for $500 and the Klickitat Valley Education Trust Scholarship $1,500.00 renewable for three years for a total of $6,000.
Kylee Bellamy of Goldendale has been named to the Dean’s List for the 2010 spring semester at Northwest Nazarene College. To be eligible for the academic honor, a student must earn a 3.5 grade-point average while taking at least 12 graded credit hours of classes.
Rebecca Bertsch received the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) Bradenton on June 6. The new Dr. Bertsch is from Goldendale and is the daughter of Virginia A. Enders. |
