Training for police response to active shooters

[Librarian]

From TTAG - http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/201...onse-strategy/

First point of 10:

1. Know your opponent.

“If our police officers knew as much about active killers as they do about the National Football League, we would have tens of thousands of active-killer experts,” Clumpner says. “An abundance of after-action reports and other comprehensive response analyses are just a Google away, but most police trainers, leaders, and emergency responders haven’t taken the time to study them.

“Many of the lessons learned are consistent across incidents–communication problems, command and control failures, equipment failures, and delays in providing medical care for the critically injured. Without knowing the consistent shortcomings, officers and leaders are simply doomed to repeat the same mistakes.

“Active shooters, on the other hand, do study and learn from past events to make their event deadlier and more sensational. Many are infatuated with previous killers. The perpetrator at Sandy Hook, for example, had a 6X4-ft. spreadsheet on his wall, detailing the tactics of 500 spree killings around the world, learning what worked and what didn’t.”

ETA - as noted below

In a special seminar earlier this year, hosted at the Force Science Training Center in Chicago, Clumpner shared what he considers current “best practices” for mitigating active-killer events. Here are Clumpier’s 10 critical factors for keeping an agency’s active-killer protocol on the cutting edge . . .

[roostersgt]

While active shootings incidents still occur, they damage they are able to inflict since Columbine has been significantly reduced due to changes and tactics. Monday morning quarterbacking by some self important blowhard on a gun website doesn't help much (truthaboutguns). All of the incidents of late have somewhat been different. Outside of the SB shooting, where it was clear religion had an influence, the rest have been loner types who were bullied, on medication for psyche issues, or a combination of all three. Gathering the information about these folks prior to their snapping their bean would be somewhat problematic, don't you think? HIPPA laws, etc.... I can't think of a better, more tactically sound and quicker way of responding than we now do. See recent mall shooting / campus shooting incidents fas examples. Brave men/women advancing directly towards gunfire without regard for their own safety to neutralize the assailant. LEA training on the subject is practiced and trained for regularly. Google doesn't have an in with LEA's training, or they'd know it is a top priority for agencies, as dictated by POST statewide.

[ChuckDizzle]

While active shootings incidents still occur, they damage they are able to inflict since Columbine has been significantly reduced due to changes and tactics. Monday morning quarterbacking by some self important blowhard on a gun website doesn't help much (truthaboutguns). All of the incidents of late have somewhat been different. Outside of the SB shooting, where it was clear religion had an influence, the rest have been loner types who were bullied, on medication for psyche issues, or a combination of all three. Gathering the information about these folks prior to their snapping their bean would be somewhat problematic, don't you think? HIPPA laws, etc.... I can't think of a better, more tactically sound and quicker way of responding than we now do. See recent mall shooting / campus shooting incidents fas examples. Brave men/women advancing directly towards gunfire without regard for their own safety to neutralize the assailant. LEA training on the subject is practiced and trained for regularly. Google doesn't have an in with LEA's training, or they'd know it is a top priority for agencies, as dictated by POST statewide.

This might be out of left field, but one strongly correlative factor we often see in massacre shootings is the perpetrator has a lack of regular sex.

Even in the SB shooting the guy was so hard up to get laid he had to essentially mail order a bride, and I suspect that when the final investigations are completed it will turn out that she was really behind it all. I wouldn't be surprised if terrorist groups will use this tactic more often of women manipulating men to jihad.

[ChuckDizzle]

Also check out this fascinating book by Dave Cullen.

It clears up many misconceptions about the Columbine massacre, especially the parts about Harris and Kleybold being bullied loners. They were a very rare combination called a "criminal diad" where the two had criminal natures that fed off one another. One a suicidal manic depressive, the other a psychopath.

[Gun Kraft]

Monday morning quarterbacking by some self important blowhard on a gun website doesn't help much (truthaboutguns).

It would appear thetruthaboutguns.com copy/pasted an article that originally went out via email from Force Science Institute two days before that, on 5/17. I've generally found FSI a credible source of information when it comes to LE-related topics.

[Librarian]

I think actually reading the article might be useful

[gogohopper]

I think actually reading the article might be useful

sig worthy, right there.

[BigStiCK]

Excellent article. I'm gonna do further research. As a first responder with extensive training in active shooter response & building clearing, I can tell you that our training drops off precipitously after the point of threat elimination.

Joint training with fire/EMT is non-existant, and "warm zone" rescue ops/ training would be HUGE in saving lives. Food for thought.

[roostersgt]

We've had several exercises, all large scale operations involving planes, trains and apartments / school buildings and sports stadiums. Training is ongoing and updated regularly. We receive our training guidelines/suggestions from the Military S.O.F., FBI, ATF, CIA, DIA, BP, ICE and various components of Home Land Security, as well as the FAA and NTSB, not privately run websites. Credible sources for most agencies, mine included, are the above mentioned.

[Librarian]

We've had several exercises, all large scale operations involving planes, trains and apartments / school buildings and sports stadiums. Training is ongoing and updated regularly. We receive our training guidelines/suggestions from the Military S.O.F., FBI, ATF, CIA, DIA, BP, ICE and various components of Home Land Security, as well as the FAA and NTSB, not privately run websites. Credible sources for most agencies, mine included, are the above mentioned.

And that article is from a Homeland Security employee.

Dr. Mike Clumpner holds a PhD in homeland security policy, with dissertation research on coordinated public safety responses to active shooters. He has logged 24 years in urban fire services, 21 years as a paramedic, and seven years in law enforcement, assigned to SWAT special op. Dr. Clumpner is a curriculum developer/instructor with the Dept. of Homeland Security. He has trained more than 40,000 first responders across three continents regarding active-killer suppression.

You're certainly free to dislike TTAG - but a general dislike should not apply to every article.

Even Brady Campaign accidentally stumbles across a nugget of truth. Unless you actually read the article, you have no idea whether it has value.

[Librarian]

Um, DeM, your list really has nothing to do with Clumpner's article.

Different point in the preparations.

[CBR_rider]

And this is the problem with modern policing: We are expected wear so many different hats that to truly prepare us for all aspects of our jobs we would have to devote enormous amounts of time for just training; thus greatly expanding the ranks/budgets of all agencies so that training can be properly conducted.

More shooting, more medical training, tactical medical training, multi agency training scenarios, more driving, unarmed combat, legal updates, policy updates, identifying current crime trends, gang updates, new drug trends, mental health issues, learning new skills, testing new technology, and the list goes on. Oh yeah, and find time to actually do the job we are actually assigned to do.