As has been demonstrated all too often over the years, acts of senseless and wanton violence can occur at any time — and any where.

Small communities such as Columbine, Colorado, or Newtown, Connecticut, were the sites of some our nation’s most harrowing mass shootings: the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 and the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in 2012. These two tragedies claimed the lives of dozens of children, teenagers and adults, and left scars on the communities that will never heal.

While officers with the Dowagiac Police Department certainly hope such violence never visits their neighbors, in the event worse comes to worst, they want to have the ability to save as many lives as possible.

To that end, the department’s leadership is looking to launch a new Rescue Task Force program. The team, which will consist of a team of specially trained police officers and firefighters, will respond to acts of mass violence within the city’s jurisdiction.

Unlike the department’s current policy, which requires officers to eliminate the threat and clear the scene before allowing emergency personnel to treat victims, the new task force is designed to get first responders helping the injured as fast as possible. While one group of officers is dispatched to take out the person or people responsible for the violence, another group will be tasked with protecting firefighters, who will administer first-aid to victims who are no longer in immediate danger.

To purchase the protective and medical equipment needed to get this operation up and running, the Dowagiac Police Department recently applied for nearly $10,000 worth of grant money from The Pokagon Fund. If the nonprofit approves the department’s request, the task force could be operational by the end of summer, before students return to school.

We support the department’s efforts to bolster its emergency response efforts.

While we hope that the police never have to make use of the task force, in this day and age our public safety officials have to be prepared for anything. With six K-12 schools and a community college in our backyard, the potential for loss is all too great, which is why our officers must have every tool possible at their disposal to save lives in the event of tragedy.

Sadly, simply saying “it can never happen here” will leave our public safety crews ill prepared in the event something horrible does occur.

Just as Director of Public Safety Steve Grinnewald said, “hopefully, we will have the best unused equipment in the region.”

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of General Manager Ambrosia Neldon and editors Scott Novak and Ted Yoakum.