San Antonio police and fire personnel practiced Monday afternoon for an active shooter incident at City Hall, closing the building for several hours for a training exercise for officials and employees working there.
City officials announced the training just hours before, warning members of the public that they might see more emergency vehicles in the area around City Hall downtown while the afternoon training was occurring.
The training was the first of a series of active shooter training exercises that will be conducted within every city department, said SAPD spokesman Washington Moscoso.
Just before 4 p.m., four police officers stood outside City Hall but there was little indication of anything happening inside. Inside, staffers were to receive training from the San Antonio Police Department, San Antonio Fire Department, the city’s Office of Emergency Management and the Information and Technology Services Department, according to a press release from the City of San Antonio.
Simulated gunshots from a training weapon were heard from inside City Hall, indicating the training was in progress. No weapons were allowed in the building during the training, said Moscoso.
About 30 SAPD officers, most of them from the SWAT team, conducted the training. Some played the “bad guy” role, Moscoso said. Other officers in the building were training facilitators.
City Hall is home to the offices of Mayor Ron Nirenberg, City Manager Erik Walsh and City Council members.
All staffers, including security and administrative assistants, participated in the training, but it was not required, Moscoso said. Any staffer that did not want to participate in the training was allowed to go home.
The building was set to reopen Tuesday morning.
In January, the Bexar County Courthouse also had a similar training, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
At that time, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar cited an increase in violent crime, causing public safety officials to place more importance on the training.
“City staff routinely train for emergency situations, including active shooter incidents,” said city spokeswoman Laura Mayes. “The drill allows staff to practice their response in the event that there is an active shooter situation at City Hall.”
