HOUSTON, Texas — New video from inside Heights High School that was shared with us by a student appears shows officers dramatically clearing a classroom following what turned out to be an active shooter hoax.
"Can I see ID," a teacher can be heard asking.
The video appears to show the teacher following protocol before the officers who identified themselves entered his classroom.
"Everyone, please put your hands up," one officer commands. "Everyone, hands up, teacher, hands up."
Police were clearing the school after a 911 caller claimed someone shot 10 students on Tuesday.
"All students, please stand up, face the wall,” an officer says in the video.
Unlike videos we’ve seen from other classrooms, these students were both briefly questioned and lightly frisked before being led to a safer space.
"Based on the video I observed, I think it was handled appropriately,” said retired FBI special agent Dennis Franks, who now runs a security consulting firm.
He said the almost immediate response and other measures appear to have gone by the book, despite any emotional impact on students and staff.
"Although it may seem counterintuitive that you treat potential victims with suspicion, that is the protocol and is necessary because you never know if an assailant has secreted themselves among the victims,” said Franks.
He said failing to properly respond in an actual emergency like officers are accused of doing so in Uvalde is never an option.
We also reached out to ALERRT at Texas State University.
That stands for Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training.
It's an agency that trains officers for active shooter events and published a report on the Uvalde tragedy.
“If the threat regarded an armed student, it could make sense to search students and maintain positive control over the class until all the students have been searched," said executive director Pete Blair. "This would be done for the safety of the officers and the students.”