Grand Forks Business Prepares For the Worst

The Grand Forks community is still recovering from the shooting at Walmart. Police are providing resources for businesses about what to do in case of an emergency.

Grand Forks police can’t stress enough that there was nearly nothing those Walmart employees could have done to avoid Marcell Willis. But they are making sure that area businesses are doing what they can to prepare for such an emergency.

Lisa Johnson, the owner of Living Sage in Grand Forks, tapes up a flyer that shows what to do in an active shooter situation.

“I was actually just recently thinking about it since that happened at Walmart and I’ve been looking at some different information and stuff to make plans for people if anything like that were to happen here,” Johnson says.

But Johnson has a history of being prepared. After her store was robbed last October, she had police come out as part of their CEPTED program, or crime prevention through environmental design.

“It’s officers coming out evaluating both inside and outside. Are there things that can be changed to make this place less susceptible to crime, just crime in general?” says Lt. Derik Zimmel of Grand Forks police.

Some of those changes at Living Sage were adding a hidden safe, more locks and a lock box.

“I think overall it’s helped us feel like our property’s going to get damaged and less likely to be broken into because of some of the measures we took,” says Johnson.

And although police say the Walmart shooting was out of the norm, they recommend a clear cut plan when it comes to active shooter situations.

“Run, hide and fight. If you can remove yourself from the situation, do it. Get away. Get to a safe location separate from wherever that incident is occurring,” Zimmel says.

Police have resources on their website further explaining these steps and courage employers to, like Johnson, work with law enforcement to prepare for the worst.

If you are interested in the CEPTED program or would like help creating an emergency plan, contact your local police department.