Tuesday’s mall shooting in Portland has many people wondering what would happen if a similar situation happened in the North State.
"You know going to these locations that we feel may have more potential for risk of something like this happening actually getting out and training is important," Sgt. Matt Madden said.
The Chico Police Department's SWAT team spends between 14 and 24 hours each month preparing for the worst case scenario. Whether it be a mall shooting like Tuesday’s attack in Portland or any other attack that threatens popular locations.
"Our major concern is anywhere in the community where a large amount of people gather," Madden said.
To prepare themselves swat team members have coordinated drills inside many of those locations like the Chico Mall, Enloe Medical Center and several local schools to make sure they have plans to help deal with the layouts of the buildings.
It's not just the police department that thinks about the possibility of attacks.
Many shoppers say it crosses their mind when they head out... But they say giving in to fear is not an option.
"The odds of that happening are pretty slim. I’d rather take my chances, because I don't want to stay at home and be scared all the time," Nicholas Fabish said,
While the odds aren't high for an attack, officers say everyone on patrol in the city is ready to respond to emergencies on a moment’s notice.
"We've gone out into the community and gained access to these locations for training. So we're prepared and ready to handle anything that might happen," Madden said.
