By Mike Simmons
The husband wakes up in the morning, puts the coffee on, showers, shaves and dresses for work. Then he goes outside and picks up the newspaper that the paper boy just left. He takes it inside, gets his coffee, and sits in his easy chair while he takes in the daily news.
No. Not in today’s world.
As she is standing in line at Starbucks, she has a moment, so she scans the app to see what the headlines are.
She reads about another mass shooting that took place. It used to grab the headlines, but today, it is the fourth or fifth story down and has to be scrolled to see.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is, “An individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area, typically a confined space or other densely populated public location.”
Okay. An officer gets a call on the police radio of a man shooting and killing multiple people, and the officer responds. What does he do when he arrives?
So, let’s get this straight…I am in charge of a criminal justice training center. My staff and I determine that there is a need for Active Shooter Training for Law Enforcement. No problem.
Wait, yes there is a problem. We are charged with answering that question: “What does he do when he arrives?”
Here’s an answer…SHOOT HIM! Got it. End of training.
Not really. Actually, there is a lot more involved in training for the event of an active shooter, and most of it isn’t what most people think.
- The first and most important thing to learn is Mindset. Think about it…when an officer pulls up to an active shooter situation, the shooter is, well, shooting! The officer must already be in survival mode. Do you know what the shooter is going to do as soon as he sees the officer? That’s right – start shooting at him. Now let’s take it a step further…what if the officer is off work, at the mall (do people still go there?) with his family, and a person begins shooting. The officer cannot call time out and get his mind on the game. He must engage immediately.
- A huge factor is called “situational awareness.” While some people call it paranoid, the officer must always be thinking of how to respond from any location…all the time. The officer must always look for suspicious-acting people, possible locations to take cover, and exits to get people out of.
- Being Prepared is necessary. Whether it is “Run, Hide, Fight” or “Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate (ALICE),” the officer must be mentally and physically prepared before any emergency.
- Emotional Hardiness. An officer is taught to, in all situations, remain calm. Under normal circumstances, this can be practiced to where it becomes relatively easy. However, in extremely stressful situations, an officer must develop the ability to remain calm and think clearly. He cannot freeze, and he must commit to a decisive action rather quickly.
- The officer must communicate: A clear head is important. When shooting begins, the officer must have presence of mind enough to call 911 and give the correct information clearly. When law enforcement arrives, the on-scene officer must be able to direct them. All the while, he must take life-saving measures like controlling bleeding, assist with breathing, applying tourniquets, etc.
- The overarching frame of mind that must always be present is the survival mindset.
The most important thing for officers to remember is that the vast majority of work must be mental preparation, and it must be done before the first shot is fired. Stressful
Mike Simmons