Story Archive

Ready?

California’s West Kern Water District wanted to ensure employees could put some special training into practice, so they conducted a “readiness drill” to test them: four employees at the district’s office were held up at gunpoint. No one told the employees it was a drill, so the four women thought they were really being robbed. The fake robber — another district employee — was successful. Police said that it was lucky none of the women had a weapon, “or the whole thing could have turned tragic.” Water district officials refused to comment, even to say whether there would be any disciplinary action over the botched drill. (RC/KERO Bakersfield) ...The four women will surely be disciplined: they apparently “weren’t ready” for the test.