John Hustis Elementary in Hustisford will be crawling with cops this week, but it is all for practice. Law enforcement officers are running full-scale active-shooter training inside the school buildings from March 30 through April 2, 2026. Residents can expect to see multiple squad cars, training signs and other law enforcement activity around the campus as Hustisford School District opens its facilities to local agencies for the multi-day exercise.
According to Channel3000, the Dodge County Sheriff's Office is leading the effort with help from other local police departments. Sheriff Dale Schmidt publicly thanked the district for the access, saying, "We would like to thank the Hustisford School District for the continued excellent partnership and opportunity to use their buildings to train," the outlet reported.
What Residents Will See
Neighbors may spot temporary command posts, marked squads clustered near entrances and training signage posted around the school during the drills. All of it is part of controlled scenarios meant to test incident command, communications and medical response; the training is not an actual emergency. Officials are urging anyone who is unsure whether activity is real or a drill to check official department channels or call non-emergency lines instead of assuming the worst.
Why Agencies Run These Drills
Law enforcement and emergency crews say they rely on realistic, multi-agency scenarios to shave precious time off real-world responses and to fine-tune how police, fire and EMS work together during potential mass-casualty events. In a similar Dodge County training in 2025, FOX6 reported that role players and paint-marking rounds were used to simulate victims and threats in empty school buildings. County officials say repeating these large-scale drills helps align protocols across agencies before they ever face an actual crisis.
Questions Or Concerns
For official details and media inquiries, residents can visit the Dodge County Sheriff's Office public information page. The Dodge County Sheriff's Office lists Sheriff Dale J. Schmidt as a media contact, while school-specific questions can be directed to the Hustisford School District. If you see an immediate, life-threatening emergency, call 911.
