Pictured above is Campus Safety Officer, Ben Chacon.
STORY AND PHOTO BY JONATHAN SINTORA
On Thursday, April 11 at 10:20 am, Cypress College will hold an active shooter drill on campus.
Across the country, similar drills are held each year in response to the rise of mass shootings in the United States.
While students and faculty prepared for the drill, the Cypress Chronicle has been working on addressing a SWAT Drill that occurred on campus last month. Amid numerous safety concerns, students were left without warning as several police and SWAT vehicles were spotted in the campus parking lot.
In the days before the drill, there was a lack of communication informing students about the police presence. This left many students concerned and looking for answers.
Following an apology from Cypress College President Scott W. Thayer, the Chronicle has requested the public record reports concerning the planning of the SWAT drill from Kai Stearns, the Director of Public & Governmental Affairs at the North Orange County Community College District (NOCCD).
In an email with Stearns and the NOCCD, staff found that “no results came back with those [training] search terms.”
The Chronicle has since reached out to Marc Posner, Director of Campus Communications, Craig Lee, Director of Campus Safety, and Stephen Schoonmaker, Vice President of Administrative Services for comment.
