John Hunt
Fannin County Criminal District Attorney’s Office
On 29 June 2018 at approximately 09:47 two personal protection alarm buttons were pushed in the Fannin County Clerk’s Office to test the alarm system and to check the compatibility with the Bonham PD response system for response times.
The time from the buttons being pushed until received by Bonham PD Dispatch was less than a minute. After going through a third party in Paris, the response time for the Bonham PD officers to arrive on the scene was three minutes. This included three officers responding, covering all exit doors on the building, and a call made by one officer to the Clerk prior to arriving. With all county offices outsourced into temporary locations, this was a necessary move to ensure the safety and security of county employees.
This drill was done in response to the growing number of shootings across the country. Within the last week, there has been extensive response training conducted by Bonham PD, Honey Grove PD, Bonham FD, TMC and Fannin Bank to ensure that employees, as well as responders, know how to react to an active shooter situation. This type of proactive training is indicative of law enforcement and employers’ commitment to protecting the citizens of Fannin County. Proactive training is the key to success in any situation, particularly in dealing with an active shooter situation.
We as a society have reached a point where vigilance of our surroundings every minute of every day is a necessity. Employers have a responsibility to insure that their employees are safe and we as law enforcement must be trained to the extreme and able to react and save lives. Thank you Chief Bankston, Chief Ridling, Chief Autommarchi, Fannin Bank and especially Strategic Awareness Solutions for presenting this training.