As part of their training, over 100 Aztec Shops bookstore employees participated in a mock robbery Friday evening.

The purpose of this event was to educate university personnel on how to deal with the psychological stresses of an armed encounter and not only survive, but also properly provide an accurate description of the suspect, protect evidence and implement their own training procedures, University Police said.

The program is designed for personnel who work in those positions most vulnerable to attack, which include retail sales, cash-handling offices and pharmacies.

The workshop began at Aztec Shops at 5 p.m. All employees gathered to listen to Thomas Boyer, a San Diego State University’s lead detective over robbery prevention. During the presentation, Boyer provided employees with robbery prevention tips.

Some of the key points he stressed included asking customers as they enter the business if assistance is needed.

“Customers and clients like the attention; robbers don’t,” Boyer said.

In addition, he stressed the importance of safety first.

“We want the employees to know that safety comes before property,” Boyer said.

This is the eighth year Boyer has conducted the mock robbery.

After one hour of information on robbery prevention, employees got to test what they had learned.

Employees were told to carry out their business just as if it was another day at work. Some employees were working behind the cash registers as others posed as customers.

About 15 minutes later, the mock robbery was executed.

Two officers posing as armed robbers entered the bookstore, firing blanks. The officers shouted commands and ordered everyone to lie down on the floor.

As the mock robbers made their way through the store toward the cashiers, they ordered the cashiers to give them their money.

One cashier become so flustered she could not open her cash register.

After receiving the cash, the robbers exited the store, taking one hostage.

The employees and management of the bookstore then covered all the bases as if a real robbery had taken place.

Mark Fox, crime prevention officer with University Police, along with one of the coordinators of the mock robbery, offered six robbery safety tips, which included remaining calm, cooperating for your own safety and the safety of others, and immediately locking the door and calling the police after the robbers flee the scene.