VERNON, Conn. -- It was only a drill, but it sure looked like the real thing.

SWAT teams and snipers took over the Legion Field Sports Complex in Vernon for a special training mission.

The scenario for the drill was the hijacking of a Vernon school bus on its way to a field trip.

The Capitol Region Emergency Services team, or CREST, was called in.

For the mock situation, 15 to 20 real Vernon High School students sat on a school bus with a fake hijacker.

After a tactical brief, officers from eight area departments started gearing up.

Snipers put on their white suits to be camouflaged in the snow.

The armored vehicles pulled up. The officer’s weapons were fake, but their response was real. Tactical units took their positions, surrounding the bus.

The hostage negotiators got into place.

For several hours, this all unfolded in real time.

Evaluators were watching the officers every move and a debriefing will happen in the future to go over what went well and what could have been done differently.

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