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Public Safety

San Diego Public Safety Agencies Train For School Shooting

San Diego Police and San Diego Fire-Rescue department employees carry student actors pretending to be injured through Knox Middle School parking lot.
Matthew Bowler
San Diego Police and San Diego Fire-Rescue department employees carry student actors pretending to be injured through Knox Middle School parking lot.

San Diego Public Safety Agencies Train For School Shooting
The focus of the drill at Knox Middle School in Valencia Park was to address the kind of violence that can happen when kids bully one another.

San Diego's public safety agencies came together Wednesday to train on how to respond to a school shooting — like the ones sometimes sparked by bullying.

Participating in the drill at Knox Middle School in Valencia Park were the San Diego Police and Fire-Rescue departments and Rady Children's and Sharp Memorial hospitals.

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In one of the training scenarios, students huddled in classrooms as authorities yelled through the halls, "All students should be inside and doors locked! This is not a drill!” But it was.

The Police Department's Southeastern Juvenile Service Team rolled out its B.R.A.V.E. program for the training. That stands for "When Bullying occurs, Respond, Actively, and Vigorously to Achieve Empowerment."

Besides the shooting scenario, the training focused on what it means to be the victim of bullying, and what can happen if a victim decides to lash out at a tormentor.

"We know for a fact that there has been violence at the schools as a result of bullying,” said San Diego police Capt. Jorge Duran.

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