Critical Response Training Program - Officer Anthony Pate and the Southlake Police Department School Resource Officer Team, Carroll ISD
Staff Development and Trainings

The Carroll ISD Critical Response Training Program, developed by the Southlake Police Department’s School Resource Officer (SRO) team — chaired by Officer A. Pate with Officers F. Rogers, C. Rattan, J. Page and Cpl. Ventura, under the leadership of Sgt. Stefan Petrovich — has enhanced school preparedness and staff confidence during critical incidents. Each campus conducts four lockdown drills per year using customized scripts that introduce unique “triggers” that increase in complexity as the year progresses. These drills strengthen communication, decision-making, and coordination under calm, realistic conditions—without simulated intruders or actions that could alarm students.

The team also conducts “camera drills” simultaneously with lockdowns. SROs at different campuses use live surveillance feeds to locate a designated staff role player walking calmly through the building and relay location updates to the drill campus SROs, testing coordination and system familiarity. The SRO supervisor oversees the process and releases administrators to begin the systematic release of classrooms. This combined approach—scripted lockdowns and camera-based awareness—gives staff practical skills, reinforces calm leadership, and builds preparedness through collaboration and repetition.

By embedding SRO supervisors, dispatch coordination (NETCOM), and post-drill debriefings into every exercise, this model exceeds compliance and operationalizes the intent of Chapter 37: to prevent violence and ensure schools respond swiftly and cohesively in any crisis. By combining realistic scenarios with technological readiness and clear staff roles, districts can achieve a cultural shift—from procedural compliance to empowered, practiced, and collaborative school safety readiness.