By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
NEWPORT, N.H. — A pair of Newport Police officers were awarded the Exceptional Duty Ribbon for their bravery during an incident at Stevens High School last month where there was a report of a student with a gun in school.
Newport Police Chief Stephen “Alex” Lee presented the commendation to School Resource Officer Shawn Seymour and Officer Walter Anderson for their “heroism and confidence in a very dangerous situation” during Monday’s selectmen meeting.
The Exceptional Duty Ribbon is awarded to an officer with an intelligent act contributing to a valuable accomplishment during adverse conditions, or any act that brings public acclaim to the employee, department or police profession as a result of training, devotion to duty, or service to public.
“It goes without saying that Officer Seymour and Officer Anderson performed flawlessly under adverse conditions. They brought public acclaim to themselves and the Newport Police Department by using their training and their experience to protect the students and staff at Stevens High School. Therefore it is my honor tonight to present the exceptional duty ribbon to Officer Shawn Seymour and Officer Walter Anderson.”
On Feb. 11, Stevens High School was placed on lockdown in response to a social media post that showed someone with a firearm while school was in session. Mutual aid was requested, and several Newport officers responded and arrived in just 12 minutes from the time of the call. When they arrived, Lee said they found a “predictably chaotic scene.”
Officers formed small teams of three or four to conduct a tactical search, and ultimately, they found a group of juveniles hiding in the bathroom with one in possession of a handgun. The gun was ultimately determined to be a realistic looking BB gun, the juveniles were taken into custody, and the school was deemed safe. However, the potential threat was very real and Lee praised the officers for their work from start to finish.
“While many, many officers performed admirably that day, in my review of the incident, two officers’ performances really stood out,” Lee said.
Lee noted that the entire country witnessed, to everyone’s dismay, the failure of officers at Uvalde, Texas and Parkland, Florida shooting incidents. In Uvalde, scenes from body worn cameras showed officers standing in the hallway in inaction for more than an hour as a shooter killed and wounded victims inside a classroom. In Parkland, security camera footage showed a school resource officer outside the building waiting for backup as shots rang out.
“In contrast, during this lockdown, a Stevens High School student looked out an upper story window to see what was happening,” Lee said. “When that student did, this is what they saw: Officer Seymour running at full speed from his cruiser into the building with his patrol rifle slung over one shoulder and his tactical shield over the other.”
Lee showed a video that depicted this, which had been circulating around Claremont. He said that social media had been flooded with praise for the way officers handled the situation that day.
“I can only imagine what a comforting sight that was compared to what the students had experienced in Texas and in Florida,” Lee said.
Officer Seymour is a combat veteran of the War in Afghanistan for the Army National Guard, and Officer Anderson is a Marine Corps veteran who was deployed in the Middle East and Africa. Seymour completed SWAT school last year, and Anderson is attending the school this year.
“In summary they are two of our most competent officers when it comes to tactical situations,” Lee said. “I am very grateful those two were on duty on this particular day.”
For privacy reasons, Lee could not show any body worn camera showing juveniles or civilians while inside the school. However, he selected a few brief clips to show the officers’ actions inside the school as they searched for the gunman.
“They are moving in a team of 3 with Claremont officer they never worked with before, putting their lives at risk to make sure everyone else was safe,” Lee said.
He added, “We of course hope that that incident never happens at any of our Newport schools, however if it does, I have great confidence that our officers are trained, equipped and mentally prepared to do whatever is necessary to keep our community safe.”
Selectboard Chair Jim Burroughs, who is a former chief of police, said few people can understand the emotion and adrenaline you feel in this type of situation. He said it was a “job well done.”
“I think I speak for the board and the rest of this town that we are very proud and fortunate to have such talented members on our force protecting us and our surrounding communities,” said Burroughs.
NEWPORT POLICE CHIEF Stephen “Alex” Lee presented the Exceptional Duty Ribbon to School Resource Officer Shawn Seymour and Officer Walter Anderson for their “heroism and confidence in a very dangerous situation” during Monday’s Newport Selectmen meeting.
