Kingsville Independent School District adds armed security officers
Corpus Christi, TX Aug 30 2022– Schools in the Kingsville Independent School District are about to start, and on Thursday, some of the newly hired armed guards were trained to be the first line of defense against active shooters.
The goal was to get the school’s safety certification. Part of that included demonstrating skills on the shooting range.
“This is not a peace officer certification. This is just a school certification. School safety certification is granted through the DPS. They have no police authority at all,” said Ghost Strapped Firearms Training (GSFT). instructor Donnie Camp said.
The GSFT travels across the state, training schools such as Kleberg Elementary School to defend themselves against mass shootings. On Thursday, the campus hosted an aggressive hands-on test of what the district’s new recruits had learned.
3NEWS reporter Michael Gibson was cleared to attend Thursday’s simulation training, which included firing safe paintball projectiles with real weapons. For safety, I had to wear a helmet during the training.
David Galindo is a KISD Armed Security Trainee and the first person to receive active marksmanship training. Before he became an armed guard for KISD, he worked as a paramedic and lieutenant in the sheriff’s office.
Galindo’s goal during Thursday’s training was to take out the bad guy played by Texas Ranger Ed Grove. However, after firing a few shots, Galindo’s gun jammed.
“I think it was the active shooting training that opened my eyes,” said Galindo. “You can sit here in a shooting range all day and shoot bullets while standing still, but when you find yourself in that situation, your stress level goes up. No. Falling off the barrel, you are very stressed.”
Once the training is complete, the men will be ready for the real job of protecting Kingsville ISD students.
