Connecticut shooting resonates in area

Yvette Nora's hug for her son and second-grader Robert was a little longer, a little bit stronger in a scene repeated dozens of times Friday outside Barry Elementary School.

Like many parents across eastern New Mexico, a shooting spree leaving 20 children dead at a faraway Connecticut school made the unimaginable all too real for Nora.

"Heartbreaking," Nora said of the days events. "I had to turn the TV off after a while. I just couldn't watch any more. What kind of person does something like this...it just weighs heavy on your heart."

Hartford Courant: Cloe Poisson

A woman talks to a state police officer at the scene of a shooting aFriday t Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Twenty-six people, including 20 children, were killed.

The massacre of children and their kindergarten teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the small town of Newtown, Conn., resonated across the region. Parents, school officials and law enforcement said while they thought schools do a good job of trying to prevent such a tragedy, the all too real truth is it could happen here.

"We realize as a school district how vulnerable we are," said Terry Myers, superintendent of Clovis Municipals Schools. "We talk often about security and safety in our schools.

"But I'm not sure any school district in America is prepared for what happened in Connecticut," Myers said. "It's just a tragedy."

Myers said access to all Clovis elementary schools is limited to one door and is also as limited as possible at the middle schools and high school.

Staff are required to wear ID badges at all times, enabling them to immediately identify and outsider who might slip into the building, he said. Clovis Police Resource Officer Darrel Rice is assigned full-time to the high school, according to Myers, but is always prepared to be at any other school in minutes if something happens.

Myers said Clovis Police also make it a point during school hours to patrol all buildings in the city as often as possible.

"Our schools in Clovis are safe places," Myers said. "Clovis schools are among the safest places for people to be. I don't anyone to feel their children are in any danger in Clovis schools."

Myers and Portales Schools Superintendent Randy Fowler said students and staff participate in regular drills aimed at handling just the kind of scenario in Connecticut. Fowler said Portales schools have conducted 11 such drills so far this school year. The drills include lockdowns and instructions on how to react to a shooting or hostage situation.

"We do the best we can to create a safe environment for all our students," said Fowler. "I don't know what you do about a situation like today. Right now, we just feel for the students and community."

Portales' new police Chief Charles Jones said one of the first things he did after taking the job in November was to review emergency incident preparedness at public schools as well as Eastern New Mexico University.

Jones said Portales police work closely with schools to help prevent an incident like the one in Connecticut. He said patrol officers are instructed to make school patrols a priority and officers routinely meet with school principals.

"There is a tactical plan that our emergency services folks have in conjunction with police and the county to respond to any (school) incident," Jones said.

Portales is part of FEMA's National Incident Management System, Jones said, a coordinated plan for responding to emergency situations.

"It's a system to plan for, respond to and react to an incident just as the one we're talking about," Jones said.

New Mexico State Police Capt. Jimmy Glascock said his officers also train regularly for incidents like those in Connecticut. Glascock said state police procedures in such an event would include focusing as much manpower as possible to assist local law enforcement.

"I would call all of state police officers to that area," Glascock said. "I would also draw from other resources in the district as well as from across the state."

It was an emotional day for Portales Recreation Center Director Jodi Kibbe, who works daily with children the same age as the victims.

"A dad came in today to pick up his son and he just gave me a hug and said 'thank you for taking care of our kids," Kibbe said. "I think it opened up his eyes to know his son is safe and take care of.

"I think it hits home because they're young kids. I can't imagine anyone who'd want to hurt innocent children."

Jacqueline Cruz of Portales said she was working at the Child Development Center on Cannon Air Force Base when she heard about the shooting.

Cruz, a mother of three, was picking up her children Friday evening from the recreation center when she explained to her twin girls and son what happened earlier that day.

"We just have to pray for all those families," Cruz told her children. "Just thinking about someone coming into my kids' school while I'm in Clovis would still be too far away. It's devastating."

Even at her job, Cruz said she couldn't imagine losing the babies she worked with.

"It's just a selfish act," said Cruz about the shooter.

George Beggs of Portales was also picking up his 11-year-old daughter Friday evening from the recreation center.

"It's just unreal," he said. "It's sickening. I couldn't even fathom what they're (parents of the victims) going through."