Pocatello active shooter drill featured in Campus Safety magazine

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - The Pocatello Police Department and other local organizations were highlighted in the Campus Safety magazine for an active shooter reunification drill earlier this year.

In the article, “Reunification Realities: 7 Lessons Learned from a School Active Shooter Exercise," the magazine said PPD has been highly proactive in improving school security.

The reunification drill focused on the process of reuniting students with their parents after an emergency evacuation.

This was the first time a drill of this kind was practiced in Idaho.

More than 500 people participated in the exercise, including students and faculty from Grace Lutheran High School, Chubbuck Police Department, Idaho State Police and other organizations.

“We couldn’t have done it without the community. It’s great to see everyone come together and recognize that school safety is a number one priority,” said school resource officer Zach Bartschi.

“Up until we did this reunification drill, it’s always been, ‘Well, then we’ll do the reunification and hope it goes well.’ It’s something that is talked about the least, so the police department and the school district and the community really rallied together to figure out how we could drill it and become better prepared for it,” Barschi said.

Bartschi said that a lot was learned from this drill, and PPD plans to do more exercises like this in the future.