Click the play button on the video window to the right to see the storyTEMPE, AZ - School may not be in session, but the sounds of screaming children can still be heard at McKemy Middle School in Tempe.
Every single sworn officer in the Tempe Police Department is taking part in mandatory "active shooter" training.
"They're getting a real life hands on view of what they should do if this situation were to occur," said Tempe Sergeant Mike Pierce.
Over an 18-day period, the officers are put through various scenarios inside the school.
Actors are used to simulate injured and dead students, a smoke machine is used to blur their vision in the event of a fire and each officer is armed with a gun that shoots a round loaded with paint.
"If you make mistakes, you're definitely going to feel, and now is a critical time for all of us who wear a badge to learn how to react correctly because if I am first on the scene of a school shooting, I can link up with another officer and we know exactly what to do without even discussing it," said Tempe Sergeant Steven Carbajal.
ABC15 was given exclusive access to the training Thursday.
One scenario included a gunman who had shot several students and hid inside a classroom while shooting at officers.
Instructors followed the actions of the officers to make sure they used the correct tactical decisions.
"We have detailed moves, we can't discuss them, but we always have a plan, and it's important that every officer and team sticks to the plan, and in this training if you make a mistake you feel that paint hitting you hard," said Carbajal.
The officers said they appreciate the training, but admit, they hope to never use it.
"I have two kids and I wouldn't want them to be in this situation, be what we do in the police department is always train for the worst case scenario and this is about the worst case as it gets," said Pierce.
The training isn't cheap.
"Sure there's a cost, but you cannot replace that expense with the danger to a child," said Pierce.
"The City of Tempe has made a commitment to its citizens to keep them safe, and this training is critical for our community, I think we all wish this type of training wasn't necessary, but that's not the reality, we as police officers must stay ahead of the criminals and be prepared for anything," said Carbajal.
Tempe is not the only Valley city that conducts intense school shooting scenarios.
In fact, officers say it's not uncommon for departments across the Valley to share information on training and tactical instruction.
Tempe's training wraps up later this month.
