SCCJA Unit 3 questions and answers.

BLE/Patrol Officer Active Aggressive Shooter Response 1. Identify the terms and definitions: active shooter, barricaded suspect, traditional deployment, rapid deployment, time line of violence and incident transition. 2. Identify the difference between active shooter vs. hostage/barricaded suspect(s). 3. Identify ways of preparing for an active shooter situation. 4. Identify and demonstrate initial deployment procedures to include en-route tasks and procedures when arriving on scene. 5. Identify and demonstrate one, two, three and four officer deployment, movement, and searching/clearing and discuss breaching techniques. 6. Identify and demonstrate proper tactics and techniques when coming into contact with a suspect(s). 7. Identify the survival mind-set. 8. Identify improvised explosive device procedures. 9. Demonstrate an understanding of these concepts through practical application exercises. Active Shooter- An active shooter is a suspect whose activity is immediately causing death and serious bodily injury. The activity is not contained and there is immediate risk of death and serious injury to potential victims. Armed Barricaded Suspect An armed barricaded suspect is a suspect who is in a position of tactical advantage, usually barricaded in a room, building or vehicle, who is armed with a weapon. The suspect may or may not be holding hostages and there is no indication that the subject's activity is immediately causing death or serious bodily injury. Traditional Deployment A tactical concept where law enforcement officers maintain a secure perimeter around an armed suspect and wait for specially trained units (SWAT, ERT, ESU) to arrive on scene and intervene. Rapid Deployment The swift and immediate deployment of law enforcement personnel to on-going, life-threatening situations where delayed deployment and engagement could otherwise result in death or great bodily injury to innocent persons. Time Line of Violence The period of time from the suspect's first violent action until the action is stopped or the suspect transitions to another activity. Incident Transition That point in the incident where the "active shooter" stops his/her violent actions and tries to escape or barricades himself/herself. Active Shooter vs. Hostage/Barricaded Suspect(s) 1. The term active shooter is used to describe rapid aggressive response to armed individuals who are actively shooting people at a school campus, workplace, or other public gathering. 2. Active Shooter vs. Hostage/Barricade. A rapid deployment calls for the first responding officer(s) on scene to form 1, 2, 3 or 4 man teams and immediately locate and stop the threat; i.e., gunman(men). Officer response to a hostage/barricade involves setting containment, perimeters, gathering information and requesting appropriate resources (Locate, Isolate, and Control). 3. It is critical to know the differences between the types of deployments and accurately assess the circumstances and deploy appropriately. A response may change from an initial rapid deployment to a hostage/barricade deployment based upon the suspects' actions. 4. The #1 objective is to find, confront and stop the deadly behavior/threat (Locate, Isolate, and Control)! Preparation for Active Shooters Situations: (Lessons Learned) (1) Active shooter incidents are spontaneous. (2) Suspect behavior is unpredictable. (3) Pre-incident signs existed in school incidents. (4) Incidents occur in a target rich environment. (5) First responders were outgunned and did not have adequate training. (6) A tactical intervention took too long. (7) Multi-jurisdictional response issues were present. 5 Stages of an Active Shooter Incident (FPPAI) F- Frank P- placed P- prepared A- alligator I- inside 1. Fantasy Stage: Initially, the shooter only dreams of the shooting. He/She fantasizes about the headlines and news coverage he/she will receive. The shooter pictures breaking the death count record of the previous active shooter and going out in a blaze of glory. He/She may draw pictures of the event, make Web postings and even discuss these desires with friends and foes. If these fantasies are passed on to law enforcement, police intervention can take place prior to the suspect's attack. In this case, there may even be zero casualties. 2. Planning Stage: The suspect is still a potential active shooter at this stage. He/She is determining logistics - the who, what, when, where and how of the infamous day. The suspect may put plans in writing and will often discuss these plans with others. A time and location will be decided upon - one that will ensure the greatest number of victims or, in some cases, target specific individuals. The potential shooter will determine the weapons needed and how they will be obtained. He/She will decide how to travel to the target location and how to dress to conceal the weapons without arousing suspicion. If the police are tipped off at this time, intervention may be made with zero casualties 5 Stages of an Active Shooter Incident (cont.) 3. Preparation Stage: A law enforcement agency can still intervene during the preparation stage. The suspect may be obtaining gunpowder or other chemicals for improvised explosive devices. He/She might break into a house to steal weapons and ammunition and/or hide them in a designated place closer to where he/she plans to attack. The suspect may do a practice run or walkthrough of the operation, gearing up for the assault. Potential shooters have been known to call friends and tell them not to go to school or work on a certain day in order to keep them out of the line-of-fire. If one of these people informs police of his/her concerns, there is another opportunity for law enforcement to intervene before the event. If this is the case, there is a real possibility that there may be zero casualties. 4. Approach Stage: The closer the time to the planned event, the more dangerous it will be for an officer taking action. By the approach stage, the suspect has made plans and has committed to carry out the act. At this point, he/she is actually moving toward the intended target and will most likely be carrying the tools that he/she will use for the massacre. Officers may come into contact with the suspect at this stage because of a citizen complaint, a traffic stop or something similar. A thorough investigation can lead to an arrest of the suspect before he/she brings down a multitude of innocent people in a shooting or bombing. No matter how dangerous the stop, an alert and armed officer has a final chance to intervene if he/she is prepared and aware during every street contact. This contact could become a lifesaver and may end in zero casualties. 5. Implementation Stage: Once the shooter opens fire, immediate action must be taken. Initial responding officers need to immediately proceed to the suspect and stop the threat. If he/she is not stopped, the active shooter will continue to kill until he/she runs out of victims or ammunition. Remember, the active shooter is unique because he/she is going for the "top score," or the highest number of kills on record for an active shooter incident. It is almost like a bizarre video game, except its real. The sooner someone - anyone - effectively intervenes through an act of courage, the fewer funerals will result. Preparation Prior to an Incident a. Prepare information packets on potential locations within your jurisdiction/area of operation b. Officers should walk through potential locations. Know how to get around the location, meet the workers, etc. Firsthand knowledge of the location will greatly increase the success of an extraordinary deployment. Locations should develop a specific plan for dealing with armed suspects. Find out what their plan is, where persons will be moved, what doors will be locked, etc. c. Maintain proficiency with weapons (rifle, handgun, OC, baton, etc.). Distances both outside and indoors at most locations/campuses put you at a disadvantage with only a handgun. In the military a rifle is a primary weapon and a handgun a secondary. Carry extra magazines and ammo. d. Wear ballistic (threat Level III A) body armor (additional ballistic shield if applicable), carry a primary and secondary flashlight (preferred weapon mounted light), and have a (hands free) radio on the right channel. Preparation Prior to an Incident (cont.) e. Be mentally prepared to.... Encounter numerous victims and bypass them as you search for the shooter (threat assessment and target identification). Encounter and engage (eliminate the threat) suspects. Receive incoming fire. Active Shooter "Profiling" There is no 100% accurate profile for an active shooter. b. Not all are the trench coat mafia stereotypes from Columbine. c. Criminal profiling is guesswork at best. d. Shooters have been both male and female and of all races. e. When criminal profiling an active shooter, look beyond to the facts and evidence that support criminal activity. Initial Deployment Procedures 1. Initial Deployment- En-route Tasks Rapid deployment to an active shooter is an emergency response, and although stealth and surprise are essential elements of gaining a tactical advantage, the prevention of the loss of life is even more important. The use of sirens/lights may allow the suspect(s) to become aware of officers presence and engage you immediately, or take steps to avoid detection or even lay an ambush. But, since the #1 objective is to find, confront and stop the deadly behavior (Locate, Isolate, and Control), officers should respond in emergency code with blue lights and siren! An active shooter who hears or sees armed officers approaching may stop the killing and comply/give up, assault officers, self-destruct/suicide or attempt to escape (CASE). Regardless of which action the shooter takes, if the time line of violence can be altered by an officer's response then lives can be saved. Victims, hearing law enforcement's emergency response, will be encouraged that help is quickly approaching. b. Obtain pertinent intelligence (description of shooter, location and building diagram). c. Determine initial deployment location. Familiarity with the location will assist greatly in this regard. d. Determine ETA of other responding officers and coordinate initial deployment from secure location. A few seconds or minutes could mean the life or death of innocent people. 2. Arrival on Scene: Pick a secure deployment location. Quickly check gear (guns, ammo, body armor, flashlight, radio on the right channel). Orient yourself without coming under fire. b. Coordinate with other units. Ensure supervisors and dispatch knows you are on scene and where/when you intend to deploy/go first; building, a room, etc. c. Base intelligence on what you see and hear upon arrival (smoke, fire, victim bodies, blood, gunshots or silence). This will aid in determining response needed. Deployment, movement, searching/clearing and breaching techniques 1. Movement to Locate Suspect(s): a. Line of sight/heavy fire from suspect(s) may dictate entry point and breaching methods. Move quickly and efficiently to engage active shooter. Avoid moving faster than you can accurately engage a threat. b. Controlled Directed Fire may be necessary while additional officers maneuver/deploy. c. If available, use cover and concealment while moving. Cover stops bullets; concealment only hides you from view. d. Cover and movement tactics can be used to move across large open areas. One officer stops and provides cover from a stable shooting platform, preferably behind cover, while other officers quickly move across open areas. Moving officers go to a covered position and stop. They then provide cover as in a leap-frog or "bounding over watch" fashion. e. Interior movement and clearing techniques (1-2-3-4-5 officer dynamic movement). Dynamic movement by officers involves speed, surprise and shock of action to gain a tactical advantage. Officers should move no faster than they can function effectively. 2. Number of Contact Officer(s): One officer response; the single officer. The general law enforcement populace does not train to react as a lone individual. Training ingrains the idea of back up (contact and cover) and creates a psychological dependence on other officers. Departments are practicing multiple officer entry teams. One benefit is superior firepower with fields of responsibility.