BOISE, Idaho — The Boise Police Department held an annual training Wednesday for their school resource officers (SRO) on how to respond to an active school shooter.
Boise Police SRO's are assigned to the Boise School District (BSD); a few schools in the West Ada School District also sit in their jurisdiction, according to Boise Police Capt. Spencer Fomby.
"The main thing we need is for the officers to understand their role in society. The public expects us to respond to these events, to make decisive action, and to make the right decisions under stress," Capt. Fomby said.
The annual active shooter training comes one week before BSD begins the upcoming school year. The training isn't new, according to Capt. Fomby; however, the tactics have changed over time.
"We want the officers to be very proficient in the physical skills so they can focus on making decisions," Capt. Fomby said.
It takes a certain type of officer to be an SRO. Officers specifically asks for the assignment, and it can be competitive.
Kari Fratusco has been an SRO for 17 years. She currently works at Lowell Scott Middle School.
"You gotta be able to reach out to all the kids in all the groups," Fratusco said. "They’re all good. You just gotta reach out to them and make them realize how good they are. Even if they make a poor choice."
Breaking down those figurative walls are why Fratusco chooses to be on the job, but breaking down literally doors and clearing a room from a potential threat is why she's needed.
"You hope that we do all of this training and never have to use it, but we just never know if a situation is every going to arise," Fratusco said.
All Boise Police SRO's are equipped with medical gear to respond to a mass casualty event, according to Capt. Fomby. Each SRO also has the proper equipment on-site to breach a locked door.
"Ya know, it's unfortunate," Timberline High School SRO Tyjuan Lynn said. "Back when I went to high school, the hardest thing we did was fire drills. Getting people lined up to get to a patch of grass. Today, it's an unfortunate thought you have to go to school to prepare for active shooters."
Toward the end of the training, SRO's practiced clearing rooms with potential threats. The training utilized fake bullets, mimicking paintballs, to give immediate feedback on performance.
In response to the images seen from the hallways of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, both Lynn and Fratusco confirm they are willing to breach a door and confront a shooter on behalf of the kids in their school.
"And I think a majority of us are prepared for that," Fratusco said. "If you don't go in, you have to live with that also."
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