The Long County Sheriff’s Office conducted an active shooter training exercise last week at McClelland Middle and Elementary Schools. 

The training took place during a holiday break. No teachers or students were at the school. 

“The Long County School System is very fortunate to have a supportive and  cooperative relationship with Sheriff Nobles and the Long County Sheriff’s Office,” School Superintendent David Edwards said. 

“We were happy to have them use our elementary and middle school facilities during our recent Columbus Day holiday for the purpose of allowing law enforcement officials to train and prepare for an active shooter on campus.  Our number one priority is always the safety of our students and staff.  Having a proactive team of local law enforcement officials who are fully prepared and equipped to handle all emergency situations is greatly appreciated.”

Long County Sheriff Craig Nobles said the exercise is critical, saying, 

“Training to protect innocent lives and helping the members of our community survive an active shooting incident is more critical than ever before,” Nobles said. The Sheriff said they are constantly training in order to serve the public. 

He said training at the school campuses helps the officers learn the layout of the buildings. “We learn a lot,” he said. “You have to train at where you know you’re going to be responding. Being there is where you need to be…everyone responding needs to know where A hall is, the lunch room is, the janitor’s room is…we train to respond and eliminate the threat.” Nobles said his officers conducted an effective training. “The officers train hard and work hard and they do a great job.”