Last Thursday was a stress-filled day for Highlands. Some may ask how such a situation could happen, with the town threatened by a potential active shooter. How could that happen in beautiful, tranquil, and idyllic Highlands? Was this event indicative of the decline of our town?
My response would be to say not so fast to making such a drastic pronouncement; this kind of event in the hyper Information Age, along with the unlimited resources at the hands of mean, evil, and grievance-driven madmen, can happen anywhere in the world. There is no sanctuary or escape from such criminal actions, not even in Highlands.
Our police and sheriff’s departments are always vigilant against such potential threats, as seen in their response on Thursday. The caller threatened to shoot up and use violence against a local church, a place of worship that also had a daycare center in operation at the time.
Our policemen and sheriff deputies responded at once. I am sure some people may have been shocked and surprised to see our police armed with AR-15 assault weapons protecting the church and a perimeter around the east section of the business district. They were taking no chances and responded as if this event might suddenly escalate into an active shooter situation. Thank God it did not.
About a decade ago, the town board quietly approved including funds in the town budget to equip the police with AR-15s and tactical gear. In addition, the police developed an ongoing training program on how to use these weapons in tactical situations, whether at a school, daycare center, church, public building, or anywhere else in town. That training was put to the test at once when the shooting threat occurred late Thursday morning, and that training proved its worth in the sterling reaction by our police department.
Also, the 911 dispatcher did his job by trying to engage the caller making the threat and keep them on the line as long as possible. That period gave police time to get into position and begin efforts to ping the caller’s source and location. After long hours of investigation, the sheriff’s department and the NC State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) determined that the caller was using very advanced technology that has made tracing the call difficult and continues to do so. Federal authorities have provided resources and aid in the ongoing call-tracing investigation.
As mayor, I want to thank everyone who responded and provided support to address this emergency. Our police chief and her force stepped forward and followed their training and an emergency response plan, as did the Macon County Sheriff’s Department. Both agencies functioned as a unified team. We all appreciate the support for NCSBI, as well as the bomb unit that came from Asheville.
I also want to thank our town employees. Our fire chief and firefighters immediately placed trucks at key intersections to help form a closed perimeter around the church. I also want to thank the volunteer firefighters who immediately came to the scene to provide assistance, along with our sanitation workers, who used their trucks to block key intersections. I am also grateful to our school administration, the teachers, and the staff at the local daycare centers for implementing their lockdown procedures to protect our children. I appreciate the many volunteers who helped evacuate the children from several daycare centers to the fire station, where parents could pick them up. The Chamber of Commerce played a key role in disseminating information to local businesses, and WHLC was always ready to send out announcements.
In an emergency like this, it was challenging for me and the town staff to provide updates and accurate information to the public. We were inundated with a constant stream of news media inquiries and requests. Such an emergency can be very fluid and multifaceted. In the coming days, our town staff and police department will review how we responded to the situation and determine whether there are additional procedures we can implement to enhance our emergency response plans in the future.
Finally, I want to thank the businesses and residents who cooperated with and supported our first responders. It was truly a community effort that makes this still a wonderful place to live and work.
Additional note from Mayor Pat added by editor: The NC Wildlife Resources winter trout stocking program will not take place this year due to construction of a new hatchery facility. There will be no trout placed in Harris Lake.