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Oakland County reviews Oxford High after‑action report, presses for liaison, unified command and training upgrades
Summary
Commissioners heard a nearly 300‑page after‑action report on the Oxford High School shooting recommending a scene liaison, stronger unified incident command, interagency communications improvements, countywide victim recovery centers and expanded joint training for police, fire and EMS.
Tom Hardesty, a county staff presenter, told Oakland County commissioners the after‑action report compiled lessons from the Oxford High School shooting and focused on system‑level improvements rather than criminal investigation. He said the report — nearly 300 pages — names the four students who died in the attack and looks at response, recovery and ongoing mental‑health support for victims and first responders.
The report’s central recommendation is to place a county liaison at the scene of major incidents so the emergency‑management center can coordinate more effectively with unified command, Hardesty said: "This is not an investigation," he said, stressing the document is a review of what worked and what can be improved.
Why it matters: Commissioners pressed for concrete operational fixes after hearing that county teams had difficulty reaching schools and that recovery centers took weeks to set up in prior incidents. Hardesty highlighted gaps in interagency communications, the county’s CAD system and varying incident‑command practices across departments.
Details: Hardesty listed several specific recommendations: embed a liaison at large incidents; develop a countywide outline for victim recovery/reunification centers; standardize incident‑command and staging protocols for multi‑agency responses; upgrade CAD dispatch capabilities; and expand joint training and rescue‑task‑force exercises among police, fire and EMS. He also noted cost and staffing hurdles, including the expense of ballistic gear for firefighters and limited staffing that constrains training schedules.
Board response and next steps: Commissioners asked for timelines and regular updates. Commissioner Spitz asked that administration return with a reunification outline before year end and requested annual progress briefings; Hardesty agreed to provide an outline and committed to continuing work on training integration. The board moved to receive and file the after‑action report.
