If you drove past a local school Thursday morning, you may have seen dozens of police officers touring the building.

It was all part of a cooperative effort between the county and city school systems and local and state police to familiarize officers with the layout of each school in Monroe County should they ever have to respond to an emergency.

Most every police officer is familiar with the schools in their territory, but because the law enforcement agencies would be called on to first respond and backup fellow agencies in case of a major school emergency, most officers believe it's good to be knowledgeable of all the schools' layout.

"I think this is a positive step," Sheriff Bill Bivens said.

The tour started out at Sequoyah High and plans were to reach all schools by the end of the day.

See full story in the Sunday, Jan. 6, edition of The Advocate & Democrat.