Police Team Drills For School Bus Hostage Situation

A hostage situation on a school bus is something none of us can imagine.  But it does happen, and that's why the New Bedford Police Department's Special Reaction Team was practicing that scenario Wednesday in the South End.

A grenade-like device was exploded outside the bus and police moved in quickly and subdued the suspects.  The entire drill took less than a minute.  Lt. John Chaves says distracting the bad guys is important in a hostage situation.

Chaves says he would give his team an "A-plus" on their performance.  The bus used in the drill was provided by Whaling City Transit, and their drivers played the roles of the bus passengers.