Before students go back to school, class was in session for some state troopers.
Dozens of them were at Harvard H. Ellis Technical School in Killingly, learning how to properly respond to an active school shooting.
Clad in protective gear, state troopers ran down the halls and rushed into a crowded classroom of students.
"Everything combined together with the sounds, the role players, getting that stress level up so that if they were to respond to an incident like this, their body, their mind, and their brain have already done this before," Sgt. Christine Jeltema, of Connecticut State Police, said.
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Wednesday was the culmination of three days of training. Troopers had to combine the skills and tactics they learned into a few scenarios. Those included clearing a building (hallways and classrooms) and how to respond directly to a shooter.
Jeltema said between 20 and 30 troopers participated in the drill. Teens from a local criminal justice program were also part of the simulation.
"This may be some refresher for some younger troopers because this is something they're learning in the academy. However, some of our constables have not been fully trained in this," said Sgt. Jeltema.
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CSP's Emergency Services Unit has hosted the program since 2016 and taught this training to nearly 8,000 people throughout Connecticut in places of worship, businesses and other schools.
With school quickly approaching, parents say they worry about gun violence.
Angela Howard, of Thompson, is a mother of three with two kids in elementary school.
"Safety is a concern, especially with all the stuff going on in the world," said Thompson. "It's scary, especially with little kids, you kind of want to shield them from that stuff that's kind of going on, but you also have to be realistic and prepared for whatever can happen."
She says she wishes there were more security measures in place at her children's school. Another parent, with a son going into fourth grade, said he appreciates the work being done to train law enforcement and keep communities safe.
"You know, they have to do these drills. They have to be aware of what's going on so they can be prepared for any type of disaster that could happen at any school," said Giddel Salazar, of Killingly.
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