Learn from the Experts Best Practices. How to Prepare for an Active Shooter Incident

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Learn from the Experts Best Practices. How to Prepare for an Active Shooter Incident"

Lily Snow
5 years ago
Views:

1 Learn from the Experts Best Practices How to Prepare for an Active Shooter Incident

2 Table of Contents 3 Overview 3 Advancing Active Shooter Response Times with New Tools and Technology 4 Know the Facts: Active Shooter Research & Data FBI Report 4 What s the Definition of an Active Shooter? Domestic Active Shooter Events 6 Locations of Active Shooter Incidents 7 How to Warn Potential Victims and Responders 7 Automatic Response Technology 8 Embracing Technology 9 Preparing Schools for Safety K12 Best Practices 9 Tips to Prepare for an Active Shooter Incident on Your Campus 10 Preparation Tips Before an Incident = 85% 12 Preparation Tips During an Incident = 10% 12 Preparation Tips After an Incident = 5% 13 Examples of School Strategies 14 ACT AHEAD 14 Law Enforcement Tactics Active Shooter Best Practices May

3 Overview The increase of active shooter incidents in this country has prompted many communities to take a closer look at how we can help to prevent gun violence and respond to these incidents even faster. Law enforcement agencies play a large role in supporting the response to traumatic incidents and have helped bring aid to victims, and preventing active shooters from providing further harm. In addition to law enforcement, there are a great number of community partners who all work together to keep us safer and to respond immediately to gunfire crisis situations. Unfortunate as it is, the increase in active shooter events in our country has become an issue that needs to be addressed at the community and law enforcement level. If we truly want to advance response time to reduce the lethality of active shooter events, I think we owe it to ourselves, our officers, and the public to take a look back at past active shooter events. We can learn alot from these past tragedies. Advancing Active Shooter Response Times with New Tools and Technology It s important as a law enforcement professional or community member to be aware of some of the latest technology that can help first responders get to the scene faster and save lives. At the end of the day, our job is to save as many lives as possible in the event of an active shooter incident. This ebook is designed to teach you about practical tips, strategies and new tools for keeping your own community safer. The information you learn will be invaluable and better equip you and your teams to become prepared for the future. The experts in this ebook have years of experience helping and protecting our communities and are actively using some of the most cutting edge technologies available on the market today. Please read these best practices and tips and get your teams together. Talk about what makes sense for your own preparedness plans. You can never begin planning too early for a potential Active Shooter event. Federal Active Shooter Expert Active Shooter Best Practices May

4 Know the Facts: Active Shooter Research & Data FBI Report* What s the Definition of an Active Shooter? The agreed-upon definition used by many of the federal agencies from the White House down is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area. The definition is plural because there have been events with more than one attacker. 160 Domestic Active Shooter Events Over a period from , the FBI/ALERRT Active Shooter research project was conducted which looked at events from In this research, the team identified 160 domestic active shooter events which met the working definition. Although every effort was made to identify events, some true active shooter events, by definition, were not included and mistakenly omitted FBI/ALERRT Active Shooter Research Domestic Active Shooter Events *The research was conducted and led by Dr. Pete Blair, Director of Research for ALERRT at Texas State University, as well as Special Agent Katherine Schweit, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Active Shooter Best Practices May

5 Know the Facts: Active Shooter Research & Data FBI Report In the past 5 years, the number of attacks jumped to more than 16 per year. That is going from less than one attack every two months to a little bit more than one attack every three weeks on average. It is also a 300% increase. Unfortunately these tragic attacks are not going away and in fact are only increasing in frequency. This is a graphic representation of the number of people shot and killed in active shooter events broken down by year. The red indicated number of people killed and the dark gray indicates the number wounded. Just like the number of attacks, you can see a clear increase in the number of people shot. This also applies to the number of people killed in these events. The individual attacks have not become more dangerous and this is a good thing. The increases in the number of people shot and killed instead seems to be driven by the increase in the number of events. If more events are occurring, we will undoubtedly have more killed and wounded FBI/ALERRT Active Shooter Research People Killed and Wounded Active Shooter Best Practices May

6 Know the Facts: Active Shooter Research & Data FBI Report Locations of Active Shooter Incidents Many believe that schools and educational facilities are the most frequently attacked locations. They are actually second behind places of business which represent more than 46% of the attack locations. This would include businesses open to the public such as retail establishments (malls for example) as well as office environments not open to the public. Other locations would include places of worship and military installations such as the attacks in 2009 and March of this year at Fort Hood, Texas. The October 2014 FBI/ALERRT Active Shooter research project research determined the average law enforcement response time is about 3 minutes. It is important to note this is from time dispatched, not the actual time the attack begins. However, three minutes is still a very fast response time. Location of Attacks Commerce Education Outdoors Other minutes 46% 24% 8% 22% Active Shooter Best Practices May

7 Know the Facts: Active Shooter Research & Data FBI Report How to Warn Potential Victims and Responders Technologies can help to better warn potential victims. If the data tells us that more than half are over before law enforcement arrives, what can we do to better prepare, educate and warn potential victims so that they can help themselves during that three minutes they are waiting on us to arrive? K-12 schools have lockdowns. Some Universities and Colleges have Emergency Notification Systems (ENS). Both of these still require a person to actually make the announcement or send out the message. Is there a way to automate notification? Automatic Response Technology These things are there, always silently working, and require no action on our part to activate in the event of a fire. Just as smoke alarms can warn potential victims of a nearby fire, there is existing technology that can automatically warn potential victims of nearby gunfire. An example of Automated Response technology is ShotSpotter. The ShotSpotter system works without victims and those in harm s way needing to take any action. Very much like a fire alarm, the technology is always there, and always being monitored. In less than a minute, notifications of gunfire can be sent to law enforcement, fire, and EMS creating a much faster response. The civilians at the epicenter of the crisis need to be focused on their immediate survival by avoiding the threat, denying access to their location or defending themselves while help is automatically on the way. Active Shooter Best Practices May

Know the Facts: Active Shooter Research & Data FBI Report Embracing Technology To sum up, we need to remember our goal is to save as many lives as possible in a tragic active shooter event.

8 Know the Facts: Active Shooter Research & Data FBI Report Embracing Technology To sum up, we need to remember our goal is to save as many lives as possible in a tragic active shooter event. As professionals, we should strive to do everything we can to prepare our communities long before an event occurs. With the advance- ment of technologies we see every day, we should leverage and embrace these advancements at every opportunity. Automatic response technologies are helping us to respond faster and to be better prepared. Retail Shop Grand Ballroom Entrance Lobby Concierge Piper Bar Outdoor Sensor Source of Gunshot(s) Indoor Sensor Source of Gunshot(s) SST s ShotSpotter SiteSecure gunshot detection, analysis and location solution provides OUTDOOR and INDOOR protection for any building, such as office buildings, malls, hospitals and hotels. An active shooter incident typically starts outdoors but may move indoors. In the event of an active shooter, SST s 24x7 monitoring service ensures that first responders are alerted in seconds, not minutes, to save lives. Sensors triangulate the sound and allow SST to identify precise location of the shooter. Active Shooter Best Practices May

9 Preparing Schools for Safety K12 Best Practices Tips to Prepare for an Active Shooter Incident on Your Campus What s the best way to get ready for a possible active shooter incident on your campus? Prepare and plan for each phase of an incident and involve all personnel, community and agency partners in your district. Preparation and planning can save lives and increase response for first responders. Now more than ever, first responders and school officials must be ready for incidents that impact the learning environment and challenge the safety along with security of our students and faculty. We must ready ourselves to manage these incidents before, during, and after. This is why the percent formula has efficacy in our school readiness, response, and recovery efforts. Trust me, it will impact your learning environment when it occurs, but you will lead and manage the chaos using this formula. Before % 4.09 The three Key Phases of a critical active shooter threat: 1. Before: 85% of the work you need to do to prepare for an active shooter incident happens before it actually occurs (Prevention and Mitigation, Preparedness/Protection), 2. During: 10% of the preparation is during the incident (Response), 3. After: 5% after the incident has happened (Recovery). In addition, to successfully prepare for any active shooter threat, human capital and technology must be integrated before, during and after the incident. During 10% 4.09 After 5% Ian A. Moffett, President-Elect, NASSLEO, Miami-Dade Chief of Police Active Shooter Best Practices May

10 Preparing Schools for Safety K12 Best Practices 4.09 Before 85% Preparation Tips Before an Incident = 85% 1. Have a robust notification system in place to notify parents, law enforcement, school personnel (example BlackBoard Connect) 2. Awareness Campaign Have an awareness campaign in place (example: Anti-Bullying campaign, See something, say something campaign) which encourages the public to report what they see. 3. Have a robust Plan in Place Have an Emergency operations plan for your school, outlining what happens before, during and after an active shooter incident. People should be trained on this plan. This is very important! 4. Have a Good Response Team Understand who will respond during an incident in your area whether it s a local team responding to the school or a district-wide team. 5. Make Plans Available Online Once your plans are done, share them online. Tools like SharePoint allow you to share your plans with local agencies and your first responders. Include in this plan would be details about your school safety and crisis team. What is the plan once your crisis team arrives on campus? 6. Crisis Kits Have crisis kits available with items that can be used on-site during an incident or can be used for evacuation (vests, whistles, tape). 7. Mutual Aid Have mutual aid with agencies in your area, make sure they have documentation of the plan. Partner with local agencies. Keep a mutual aid agreement on hand. 8. Formal Agreements These agreements are with your technology partners and districts, detailing out your technology equipment. No cost things you can work out in advance. Active Shooter Best Practices May

11 Preparing Schools for Safety K12 Best Practices 4.09 Before 85% 9. Metal Detection Random metal detection checks can deter guns and weapons from coming on campus. 10. Canine Dogs Very helpful for tracking if an explosive device or a gun is on campus Technology Integration Implement single platform camera systems, remote viewing of cameras, drones, gunshot detections systems like ShotSpotter alerts, visitor access systems integration and centralized area to view and control through a real time crime center or situation room. 12. PIO/Social Media Have public information available on social media! Develop good relationships with your media outlets and forger relationships with your Public Information Officer (PIO). 13. Statewide Joint-information Center (JIC) Utilize state and regional resources to collaborate on the information that should be pushed out to the media and parents. Every time training is conducted, the JIC should be utilized to relay information and build relationships. 14. Training Very important! Have safety drills to get your teams trained ahead of time. Training exercises ensure everyone can work together when every second counts. Helps crisis teams to respond efficiently even from a remote location. 15. Assessment Constant evaluation assessments is important to your district. Active Shooter Best Practices May

12 Preparing Schools for Safety K12 Best Practices During 4.09 After 10% % Preparation Tips During an Incident = 10% 1. Implement Incident Command System Implement the Unified Command System which involves police, fire, emergency medical services, and school administration. Manage the chaos or it becomes unorganized chaos. 2. Implement your site specific plans or district Emergency Operations Plan Use your customized Incident Command System that is either District supported, school based, or a combination. 3. Implement Technology Activate and utilize your technology to manage the active shooter situation. Use of technology reduces time and human capital wasted and allows you to redirect resources to more critical areas. Preparation Tips After an Incident = 5% 1. After Action Review Conduct a comprehensive review of strengths and areas of improvement that were noted during the incident. 2. Community Awareness Planning Meeting After an incident, it s always good to meet with your community. 3. Mental Health Awareness Plan Victims and witnesses often need grieving and counseling, so it s good to have these plans in place. 4. Security Have additional security measures in place after the incident happens at your school. Active Shooter Best Practices May

Preparing Schools for Safety K12 Best Practices Examples of School Strategies Visitor screening/sign in procedures Photo identification Ingress and egress areas are locked properly Video Surveillance

Moffett has been a member of the National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officials (NASSLEO) since 2003, and is currently the President Elect for NASSLEO.

13 Preparing Schools for Safety K12 Best Practices Examples of School Strategies Visitor screening/sign in procedures Photo identification Ingress and egress areas are locked properly Video Surveillance Systems Emergency notification system Safety drills Crisis Management Plan Consult and meet with law enforcement and first responders/safety Teams Security audits Training About the Expert Ian A. Moffett has been a member of the National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officials (NASSLEO) since 2003, and is currently the President Elect for NASSLEO. As the Chief of Police and District Security for the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department, the fourth largest school district in the nation, he leads 190 sworn police officers. As a Subject Matter Expert for the United States Department of Education on issues related to emergency management in schools, he has trained and worked with multi-agencies regarding responding to critical incidents. He has given countless workshops in the areas of youth violence, gang awareness, and school safety, weapons of mass destruction, emergency management and tactical training. Ian A. Moffett President-Elect, NASSLEO, Miami-Dade Chief of Police Active Shooter Best Practices May

14 ACT AHEAD Law Enforcement Tactics In any active shooter scenario, we should not elevate our officer s exposure to danger without insisting that they be wearing the personal protection to meet the task. To protect our officers, we need to enforce the right equipment this includes seat belts and body armor, but they don t work if they are not used. It also includes some things that are often locked away. Get them into the field as a matter of course. Along with seat belts, it is similarly frustrating to learn that here in the 21st century, with the advances in body armor technology, such as lighter weight, greater flexibility, and undergarment improvements, over one third of the officers killed in the last decade were not wearing a vest. A Awareness Active Shooter Events on the Rise Active Shooter events are increasing in frequency in the United States. Prior to 2009, the U.S. averaged approximately only 5 shootings per year. Since 2009, there are approximately 16 per year. To properly prepare for these types of events, agencies need to understand that our own neighborhood cities and towns are quickly becoming unpredictable areas for active shooter events. C Community Engagement Teach Strategies Civilians must be provided strategies to help save their own lives in an active shooter event. More than half of the events are over before law enforcement ever arrives on the scene. ALERRT s Avoid, Deny, Defend program or DHS s Run, Hide, Fight are two established programs for civilian response strategies. For more information on these programs go to.(we can insert later) T Teach Trauma Skills Everyone should learn basic trauma life-saving skills, especially hemorrhage control techniques such as the proper use of tourniquets. Trauma bags, to include tourniquets, should be kept in schools and public buildings near AED machines. Chief Ron Teachman, South Bend, Indiana Police Department Active Shooter Best Practices May

15 ACT AHEAD Law Enforcement Tactics A H E A D Agency Collaboration Help the Wounded Equipment Get it Ahead of Time Advocate Technology Don t Forget: Officer Safety Comes First Law enforcement, Fire and EMS providers must work together before an active shooter event to plan, train and exercise response protocols. These protocols should be documented and practiced with planned drills and scenarios so that your community is well-prepared for an active shooter scenario before it even happens. As professionals, you want to strive to do everything humanly possible to prepare your community long before an event occurs. It s important that you act ahead and have a plan for how to respond to wounded victims immediately. Technologies can help to alert you to an active shooter scene, but be prepared to work with local hospitals and other agency team members to attend to your victims first and foremost. Have a backup plan. Minutes count. Between 2003 and 2012, 36% of the officers who were feloniously killed in the line of duty were not wearing body armor. Use bullet proof vests, wear your seatbelt and get the equipment you need and plan for potential active shooter scenarios. You can never be too prepared. Law enforcement should embrace and advocate for technology that can decrease response time, increase real-time intelligence, and provide immediate emergency notifications to those in harm s way. ShotSpotter gunfire detection technology and the SaferMobility smart phone technology are two examples of the latest technology that can assist first responders and potential victims. Protecting officers is first and foremost. Make sure your agency has a plan to protect your teams and to ensure safety in every active shooter scenario. Active Shooter Best Practices May

ACT AHEAD Law Enforcement Tactics About the Expert Ron Teachman Chief of Police, South Bend Police Department Chief Ron Teachman s law enforcement career spans more than 35 years beginning at the New

16 ACT AHEAD Law Enforcement Tactics About the Expert Ron Teachman Chief of Police, South Bend Police Department Chief Ron Teachman s law enforcement career spans more than 35 years beginning at the New Bedford Police Department in 1977 where he later was appointed to the position of Chief of Police. During his time as chief in New Bedford, Chief Teachman was known for his ability to collaborate and build effective partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement as well as community organizations. Ron was appointed as the Chief of Police in South Bend in 2013 where he continues to be a strong advocate for community policing programs and building innovative public safety partnerships. Chief Teachman has a passion for technology and has implemented a number of cutting edge platforms to address violent crime. Chief Teachman has served on the Massachusetts Governor s Anti-Crime Council s Sub-Committee on Urban Violence and also graduated from the FBI National Academy. He received a J.D. in 1994 from the New England School of Law (magna cum laude) and is a member of the Massachusetts State Bar. Chief Ron Teachman South Bend, Indiana Active Shooter Best Practices May

17 @ShotSpotter ShotSpotter ShotSpotter ShotSpotter More Information about SST and ShotSpotter can be found at or You can also follow SST and ShotSpotter solutions on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The National Gunfire Index can be downloaded at SST, Inc ṬM All rights reserved. ShotSpotter Flex SM, ShotSpotter SiteSecure TM, ShotSpotter, ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System TM, SST TM SecureCampus and the ShotSpotter logo are registered trademarks of SST, Inc ṬM, SST and ShotSpotter technology are protected by one or more issued U.S. and foreign patents, with other domestic and foreign patents pending, as detailed at Corporate Headquarters 7979 Gateway Blvd., Suite 210 Newark, California /15

Live Webinar. Best Practices for Law Enforcement Professionals. Learn How to Advance Active Shooter Response when Seconds Count

Live Webinar. Best Practices for Law Enforcement Professionals. Learn How to Advance Active Shooter Response when Seconds Count Live Webinar Best Practices for Law Enforcement Professionals Learn How to Advance Active Shooter Response when Seconds Count 1 Agenda & Panelists 1 2 3 Welcome & Introduction Daumaune Journey, VP Security