The lockdown of the Sedona Red Rock High School campus last Thursday was a terrifying incident for many students and parents in the community.
The quick response by Sedona’s law enforcement officers, however, highlights the training and swift action demanded to keep our community safe in times of crisis.
At 11:47 a.m., the day of the incident, Sedona Police Department School Resource Officer Jackie McQuaid was notified that a former student was coming to campus. According to police reports, he had already been trespassed from school grounds. The individual’s vehicle was reportedly located on campus and McQuaid ordered the school on lockdown.
Within four minutes of the warning, six Sedona police officers were on campus.
Calls from police dispatch went out to surrounding law enforcement agencies, who sent officers, deputies and troopers to the campus.
By the time our photojournalist arrived on scene, numerous vehicles from these agencies were already on scene.
Over the police radio band, we heard officers checking buildings and clearing the campus as they searched for the suspect.
While the suspect was later located off campus, the potential that he was on school grounds and could have harmed students, teachers or staff was a real threat that our city’s officers and other agencies took seriously.
Had the suspect been on campus, however, this incident could have turned out very differently. The training and professionalism of our police officers and their colleagues would have been tested. Fortunately, we avoided what could have been. We thank our Sedona Police Department for acting swiftly and without hesitation to put themselves in harm’s way.
We also thank the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Yavapai Apache Police Department, Camp Verde Marshal’s Office, Arizona Department of Public Safety and Coconino County Sheriff’s Office for responding to this incident.
The law enforcement and fire agencies around the Verde Valley have a long history of cooperation. When we get press releases about major fires or police incidents or arrive on scene to take photos or interview law enforcement for news stories, there are often police or fire vehicles from neighboring agencies on scene. Our communities are small and not every agency has the complete resource to tackle every incident that comes their way.
While our police and fire agencies are not a unified Verde Valley agency, in a crisis they often operate as though they were. In some instances, due to our rural communities being so spread out, sometimes a vehicle from a neighboring town or city is the closest first responder to an incident.
Over the last two years, we have reported on Sedona police and other law enforcement agencies participating in active shooter drills at various facilities around the Verde Valley including Big Park Community School, the then-Oak Creek Factory Outlets mall in the Village of Oak Creek and most recently at Cliff Castle Casino in Camp Verde.
While this training may seem excessive, it provides officers with the necessary skills to tackle a potential public shooting incident with tactics and strategies designed to clear a site quickly and efficiently and protect civilians in harm’s way.
Some parents did voice frustration that many were not contacted by the Sedona-Oak Creek School District communicating there was a police incident on campus in which their children’s lives were potentially at risk. We strongly urge SOCSD to review how it notifies parents and the public at large about such threats and find some means to contact all parents immediately should an incident like this ever again occur.
We did our best to inform our community during this incident and are willing to assist SPD and SOCSD with our resources to keep our children safe.
Christopher Fox Graham Managing Editor
