Trenton Police Perform Active Shooter Drill at Trenton High School

The Trenton Police Department participated in an active shooter drill at Trenton High School from about 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday.

Trenton police officers and police administration worked closely with Superintendent Rod Wakeham and high school Principal Michael Doyle to plan and execute the drill.

Chief Jim Nardone said officers were practicing tactics and protocols for handling an armed threat inside a Trenton school building.

"The police department has set the protection of our young people as a high priority," Nardone said.

This is the first time Trenton officers have performed an active shooter drill, which is a drill designed to respond to a gunman inside a school building containing students and staff.

Students were on spring break at the time of the drill.

"Our effort is to provide safe and secure buildings for our students," said Wakeham. "We will do everything with the resources we have to achieve our goal."

Trenton's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and the Trenton Fire Department also participated in the drill.

Nardone said the drill was not in response to any specific event including a recent incident at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT where a gunman opened fire and took the lives of 20 children and six adults, according to Newtown Patch.

"The outcome is, we believe, we are prepared to respond to either internal or external threats to our schools," Nardone said. "We will continue to do these types of exercises."

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