Sheriff’s Office holding SWAT training exercises in St. Bernard Parish schools

Officers burst into a room to check it during an exercise.	Officers prepare to enter a school hallway.
Det. Sgt. Donald Johnson, left, and Dep. Sheriff Jason Spadoni are about to bring mobile shields into the school for use in the training.	Sheriff’s SWAT team members climb a stairwell as they train at Lynn Oaks School in eastern St. Bernard.

Using the summer break, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office has begun SWAT team training exercises in schools to familiarize themselves with the layout of buildings and practice tactics, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

“In today’s environment, it’s crucial to be prepared for anything,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said, “and the best way to do that is to train, in this case walk through the schools. You hope you never have to deal with the kind of incidents that have happened in some parts of the country.’’

Many schools in St. Bernard Parish have been entirely rebuilt since Hurricame Katrina and officers need to familiarize themselves with new layouts, the sheriff said.

“The summer break, with schools closed, is a good time to do this,’’ he said. Maj. Robert McNab, commander of the Criminal Investigations Bureau, heads the SWAT team.

As well as the SWAT training, numerous St. Bernard deputies from all divisions have attended active-shooter training exercises covering various types of situations, the sheriff emphasized.

Both public and private schools would be involved in the SWAT training.

Training in public schools would be in coordination with Superintendent of Schools Doris Voitier’s office.