Buffalo Grove police train NW suburban school district on active threat response

Buffalo Grove police are providing active threat response training to school teachers and staff at Community Consolidated School District 21 in the northwest suburbs.

The goal of the partnership is to improve security measures throughout the district while also providing teachers and staff at 13 schools with continuing education on how to be ready in the event of an active threat, police said Friday.

Recommendations on security cameras, locking mechanisms and general safety tips have been discussed during the district’s Safety and Security Committee and Safety and School Design Committee meetings.

In the weeks ahead, officers will led district educators through scenarios designed to evoke various responses to a threat, police said. Topics such as lockdowns, barricading rooms, evacuating and countering threats are to be discussed and demonstrated.

Since the district spans multiple jurisdictions, Buffalo Grove police will be joined by officers from Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect during training.

“Our officers have dedicated themselves to ensuring teachers and staff will be equipped to better handle an exigent situation,” Buffalo Grove Police Chief Steven Casstevens. “By incorporating first responders into the planning and implementation stages, the district has created safer schools and stronger relationships, which will have a positive effect on the entire district.”