By David Fleet
Editor
Brandon Twp. — On Nov. 30, 2021, upon hearing that there was an active shooter at Oxford High School, and several injuries, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office deputies from all corners of the county rushed to the scene.
Among those responding were six officers from the Brandon Township Substation who made entry into the school within minutes of the first (9-1-1) call. The Oxford substation officers entered first then Brandon along with other deputies from the area.
On May 18, the Sheriff’s Office recognized 45 federal, state and local enforcement partners
along with first responders who sent personnel to the tragic Oxford High School shooting. Included from Brandon Township Substation: Lt. Glover, Det. Nabozny, Sgt. Hubble, Dep. Osborne, Dep. MacDonald and Det. Buhl. The officers were awarded the Sheriff’s Special Commendation Citation and Citations for Bravery.
“We have trained for years for an active shooter situation, whether it’s a business or a school,” said Lt. Glover.
From the results of the Columbine Colorado school shooting, April 20, 1999, police practices for active shooters have changed, said Glover. No longer do law enforcement wait until you have adequate manpower before they enter and take out the threat.
When the first call came in there was no hesitation getting to Oxford High School, he said.
“On the way over, everybody was hoping it was going to be a false alarm,” he said. “The longer we were driving to Oxford, and the radio traffic continued, we realized this is an active shooter.”
The response from the Brandon Township Substation officers was phenomenal, said Glover.
“We were fully prepared for stopping and ending the threat,” he said. “The suspect was arrested by Oxford deputies. The guys were prepared.”
We had a job to do, recalled Glover.
“Even if you’re the first on the scene, you go in,” he said. “When the Oxford shooting occurred that is exactly how we responded. Our guys here (in Brandon) along with the Oxford substation guys were among the first to enter the school. We weren’t certain if there was another shooter in the building.”
“We were given updates through our radios as we were responding,” he said. “It was like we could not get into the school fast enough. Everybody here walked into the hallways where the shooter had been active.”
“There was no hesitation,” he said.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard recognized the bravery.
“Each and every day I am proud of the incredible work our team at the Sheriff’s Office has been doing over some of the most difficult moments in our country’s history,” Bouchard said. “It is an honor to work side-by-side with them and this ceremony gives me a chance to thank them publicly.”
“We had trained for years with all of our public safety partners to face terrible threats,” Bouchard said. “We hoped and prayed this type of tragedy would never visit our community, but it did. Tragically, our training was put to the test on that day and without the support of all our partners, the necessary resources and response would not have been possible. I thank them from the bottom of my heart.”