The Farmington Police Department announced that they would coordinate with other local agencies to tour and study the layout of Farmington and Piedra Vista high schools during the holiday break.
“We believe it is important for law enforcement personnel to gain a general understanding of the layout of these two high schools in case of a critical incident,” the department said on its Facebook page.
There will be a large presence of police and other agency vehicles Dec. 26-29, according to Shanice Gonzales, Farmington police spokeswoman.
She stated in an email that the tours resulted from an initiative by School Resource Officer Tezzarea Fernandez, who recognized that many officers probably did not know Farmington High School’s layout since its renovations.
With permission from the high schools, the police department invited the San Juan County Sheriff's Department, New Mexico State Police, and Aztec and Bloomfield police departments to participate.
“There have always been maps of the school in our systems and in our officer's vehicles in case of emergencies,” Gonzales said.
She said the police department would share map resources with other agencies when asked.
The tours are being done in one-hour increments all day long with an hour for a lunch break.
“Most of the people who came in groups showed up on Monday, ” Gonzales emailed on Wednesday.
“The goal is for our department and other local agencies to gain a general understanding of the layout of these two high schools in case of a critical incident,” Gonzales said. “Our officers carry and have access to the maps of these schools, but we find it valuable to allow them to walk the schools for firsthand knowledge.”
