Police swarm SRJC for drill

<p>When Chase Covington emerged from Baker Hall on the Santa Rosa Junior College campus Thursday morning, his arms were riddled with bloody “bullet” wounds.</p><p>Covington was a role player an elaborate drill staged by the college police force, Santa Rosa Police, Petaluma Police and Santa Rosa Fire Department to simulate emergency response to a shooter on campus and a hostage situation.</p><p>The scenes played out were created by members of the Santa Rosa Police SWAT team, said Sgt. Mike Tosti. “They come up with the scenarios based on situations that have occurred,” he said. “Everything that we come up with is designed to mimic real life.”</p><p>Even a bit of pain.</p><p>Covington, who will enter the police academy next month, played a member of an extreme environmental activist group that took over a classroom of students played by other role players. He was hit multiple times by the practice “bullets” that were bullet-shaped vessels loaded with colored detergent.</p><p>“I suppose it feels like a bee sting, maybe a little more painful than a bee sting,” he said, looking at the bloody welts a little larger than a pencil-top eraser that marked both arms.</p><p>About 60 people participated in Thursday's multi-agency drill, but only a select few had access to the opening script that had shooters attempting to take over a classroom just after 10 a.m.</p><p>The rest of the four-hour drill on the otherwise quiet campus that is closed for spring break this week unfolded according to how police and role-playing “bad guys” responded.</p><p>“We can't wait until we have all the information, it takes too long,” said Mike Azzouni, team leader for hostage negotiators.</p><p>In the end, one cell phone died, forcing police to deploy a “throw phone” to speak with those barricaded inside. Later, a kidnapper tried to walk out with the “students,” and was caught.</p><p>Suspects also left booby traps in the classrooms — bombs that could have gone off in real life but which were detected and disarmed by police, Azzouni said.</p><p>Those “killed” included a person playing the role of a student and two playing suspects, Azzouni said. A number of suspects were injured, he said.</p><p>Throwing different agencies into an unknown situation and demanding the players work it out on the fly is crucial, Azzouni said.</p><p>“This training is invaluable,” he said. “It's as realistic as we could get.”</p><p>Right down to the frantically beating heart of those playing the bad guys, Covington said.</p><p>“You definitely start hearing your heart go really fast,” he said of hearing the officers closing in on him as he hid in a classroom. “It's just scary. They are scary. I could only imagine if it's a real life situation, you would be terrified.”</p><p>Neighbors and members of the campus community were alerted to the drill prior to Thursday morning. Police tape stretched around the northwest corner of the campus from Armory Drive to Elliott Avenue to Scholars Drive.</p>