An all-day training exercise for law enforcement took place on Oct. 26 at the Children’s Health Stadium on Frontier Parkway and the Central Fire Station. Prosper hosted one of the five anti-terrorist drills taking part statewide for police training.
There was a heavy law enforcement presence from multiple federal, state and local agencies in the press box viewing the different scenarios played out on the field. Helicopters were utilized as well for training purposes, and no harm was done to the public.
“As we were planning this combined terrorist event, a statewide exercise, we wanted to make sure that we were doing it in an area where we could test these systems; where we might not have the same level of connectivity where we would in an area like Dallas, specifically,” Assistant special agent in charge with the Dallas FBI Geoff Mcguire said. “Prosper ISD was very supportive of this idea; they immediately offered up the stadium and that’s why we are here.”
This type of training has been going on in Prosper since 2018 to ensure public safety and security for schools in the district.
“People were given different scenarios and they would either have different wound situations or they would have, in some cases, a lethal event that comes out of it,” member of the Frisco Community Emergency Response Team, (CERT) Roger Brown said. “Being a part of this activity today was an opportunity to share and provide helpful support for our law enforcement, firefighters, medics, and different fields that are taking care of us in the community.”
Detours in the roads surrounding this area were set between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Throughout these hours, the stadium remained closed for all other events to take place, however the PISD Natatorium was still available.
“It’s important for these exercises to happen so we know resources we need, we need to know what we need to do better in order to keep the community safe,” PISD Sergeant Haley Carter said. “In order to prepare for this type of situation, you want to make sure that parents are communicating with students, in order to put a plan in place for what they would do.”
In order to make this event a learning experience for all, a mobile command post vehicle was parked in front of the stadium by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This regional asset allowed people from multiple area districts of the FBI to communicate with each other.
“That facility within the command post allows us to have those direct communications, but it also allows us to bring in executives,” Mcguire said. “There’s a space within the command post where they can have conversations. We can put negotiators inside the command post, and have peaceful negotiations ongoing with people if we have a hostage situation or things like that.”
As this experience came to an end, students from all three PISD high schools took part in playing the roles of different public media outlets. This mock press conference was for education purposes of a real-world media process that authorities may have to undergo.
“It allowed us to see how we would respond and it also allowed all the different entities to come into play, including the students,” Carter said. “I know we included some of the hospitals, first responders, police, fire, EMS there’s lots of different entities here, and we were all able to work together.”
Below are all the leaders that spoke during the mock press conference:
Prosper Mayor – David Bristol
Regional Director – Jeremy Sherrod
Texas Department of Public Safety – Chad Vessels
PISD PD Sergeant – Haley Carter
Prosper Police Chief – Doug Kowalski
Fire Chief – Stuart Blasingame
Assistant Special Agent in charge of Dallas FBI – Geoff Mcguire
![AP World History students created political campaign posters for a mock election project between two candidates– Genghis Khan and the White Lotus Society.
. “I think [everyone] should all have a say on who they think is going to run the country best,” sophomore Rohit Darbhakul said.](https://rockhillmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ZH_1107_Lanier1187-copy-1200x800.jpg)
![U.S. Government teacher Adam Barclay gives advice about the importance of local politics. “The presidential elections, or the big Senates, or the House of Representatives— that gets all the [attention],” Barclay said, “But that doesn't affect your everyday life. Your mayor, your city council, your school board— that affects your everyday life.”](https://rockhillmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ZH_1028_Barclay0580-copy-1200x800.jpg)
![Sophomore Aparna Uppalapati crouches between two girls, engaging with them as they create a chalk flower on the pavement. “I love children and I’m very passionate about children, so that’s why I joined TAFE,” Uppalapati said. “After being in TAFE, I learned how to get a child to understand [me] better and how to understand a child better.”](https://rockhillmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/kidscamp1-2-1200x801.jpg)
