July 5

( Photo by Jonathan Kleppinger/jkleppinger@jessaminejournal.com / July 5, 2011 )

Nicholasville police officer Sam Wade, who also serves as West Jessamine High's school-resource officer, led a team of police through a hallway at Jessamine Career and Technology Center during a training exercise in July. The police department trains in a simulated school shooting each year, with officers working through scenarios with compressed-air guns. Sgt. Scott Harvey said the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School changed how authorities manage active-shooter situations. "The first few officers there go in, and we don't sit and wait for a SWAT team," he said. "As long as there are shots being fired, it's an emergency situation."