Initial Responders

First Responders are good but they can’t do it all

FBI Lends a Hand

It was reported by USA Today that the FBI is going to deploy 200 agents across the nation to train local police departments in the latest tactics for responding to active shooters.  This ambitious effort is aiming to deliver training to some 30,000 police officers who may have to protect schools, businesses or other public places from these actors.  

Review and Study

The impetus of the training is in part due to the horrifying events at Newtown in 2012 but it is also the result of a 14 year study that indicated a definite uptick in the number of active shooter incidents across the United States.

More than target practice

The training is two days in length and has been developed in partnership with Texas State University. It includes tactical content as well as emergency medical response skills.  The overall desire is to get officers to run toward gunfire as quickly as possible and neutralize the threat.

Odds are against

While this effort is no doubt beneficial and someday may save lives, it must be understood that most shooting incidents end before law enforcement can intervene.  The FBI’s study revealed that the shooter either kills himself or is stopped by a bystander two-thirds of the time.

Life saving skill

This ratio was not lost on CSI when it was developing the Sensible Solutions school safety program. Included in the program is the concept of Initial Responder which is based on the premise that bystanders were likely going to bear the burden of effective action against a shooter.

Know your role

Dr. David Benke - Initial Responder
http://www.dailycamera.com/

In every institution where Sensible Solutions is deployed, the Initial Responder has a job.  That job may be to do nothing more than hide.  However, this is critical because it creates an orderly response to a chaotic event.  The program identifies other Initial Responders who have the capacity – mental and physical – to carry out jobs that not everyone can do.  Some may be tasked to intervene while others lead the herd to safety.  It all depends upon the individual and the inherent characteristics of the venue that defines the role of the Initial Responder.

Plan on stepping up

Fortunately, in the United States, we are blessed with top flight First Responders.  And programs like the one the FBI is rolling out will undoubtedly build upon their preparedness.  However, First Responders have limitations and one of those is the time they need to react.  The gap must be filled by those who are caught in the crossfire.  It would seem that given the percentages, bystander preparedness training must also be included in any security program.  

Threat Assessment

Schools need mechanism to capture what is obvious and what is obscure to be safe

Another name added to the list

John David LaDue of Waseca, Minnesota was recently added to the list of infamous names associated with school massacres.  Fortunately, LaDue did not kill anyone and did not even fire a shot but alas was charged with attempted murder in the first degree.  And had it not been for the watchful eye of a suspicious adult, the teen likely would have progressed a lot further in his detailed plot to commit horrible crimes.

Mixed Traits – Mixed Signals

Several accounts cited information about LaDue that suggested he fit the profile of someone who may be at risk for destructive behavior.  Those attributes includes an affinity for guns, a fan of violent movies and authors of dark subjects.  He was also routinely seen practicing hatchet throwing at a tree in his front yard.  But on the flip side, this 17 year old was a high school honor student, held a job, had friends and was allegedly close with his older sister.

Suspect memorialized his intentions

http://www.startribune.com/

Facts obtained from the police investigation revealed a very dark and dangerous person who appeared to be intent on pulling off another Columbine style attack.  He had guns and bombs in his room and more bombs and materiel in a storage facility.  Most damming was a 180 page diary that not only detailed his intentions which included killing his family and creating a fire as a diversion but also showed an affinity for the Columbine killers and even planned to strike on the same date (April 20th) as they did.  

Did the adults miss the signals?  

LaDue’s father who was interviewed in a local paper indicated he was dumbstruck by his son’s dark side.  He was very open about his parenting of his son and by his account, acted reasonably in his upbringing.  LaDue was a good student and did not get into trouble which led the elder LaDue to provide his son with some latitude.  He did claim to check his internet browsing but stopped short of searching his room. That being said, the school superintendent indicated that LaDue was not unknown to them and that people made lots of contact with him and they tried everything possible to build relationships with him.  This is sort of a cryptic comment and the context in which it was said was not exactly known but it does raise the specter that LaDue was known to administrators for nefarious reasons.

The Missing Piece

But for some incredible luck and a citizen willing to make the effort to report suspicious behavior, the ending of this story may have been tragically different.  Clearly, luck is not going to win the day all the time.  There needs to be something beyond metal detectors and locked doors for real school security to be comprehensive.  A critical piece of the solution may lie in the creation of well trained Threat Assessment teams.

A serious commitment to safety and security

A Threat Assessment team is designed to be that place where intelligence is gathered, plans are formulated and actions are initiated.  All of its efforts are designed to intercept violent actors and prevent them from carrying out plans of destruction and mayhem before they happen.  They are also there for providing the help that students and families need to overcome these tendencies.  Threat Assessment teams are different from Student Assistance Programs but share a similar structure in that they require a school district to buy into the concept, make teachers and staff available to participate, allow time for training and meetings and to ensure that they are a visible and active part of school functioning.

Not an impossible mission

A very big lesson learned from tragedies in the past was that there was a connectivity gap between adults, both at home and at the school, and their students.  The creation of an inclusive environment is a necessary element for safe schools and establishing connections is a critical component of that concept.  In addition to the ability to investigate and formulate action plans, the Threat Assessment team would need to ensure the link between adults and students so that signals and threats are captured, quantified and acted upon.

Active Shooters

Knowing what to listen for can prevent insider attacks

Perceived injustice sparks shooting

The nation and especially Colorado are again reeling from another student turned active shooter.  The tragedy of the latest school shooting left two students wounded and the shooter dead from a self-inflicted shotgun wound. A motive for the shooter’s rampage quickly emerged in the press.  It was cited that that he sought to avenge his demotion on the debate team and when he entered the school, he verbalized he was seeking the teacher who demoted him.

http://blogs.edweek.org

In trying to understand what makes someone turn into an active shooter researchers have categorized threat types. Given that this shooter was a student who attended the school he attacked, he is labeled an “Insider”.  And on the surface, the attack appears to be reactive as the motive that is known at this juncture makes it appear as if he was responding quickly to a slight he endured.  However, the weaponry compiled by the shooter and the announcement of his target indicates a well-planned, proactive attack. Understanding what makes up an active shooter is an important component of developing effective countermeasures.  

Thought out and planned 

Academics who study shootings tell us that people don’t just snap.  Rather, there is an escalation by the shooter that includes preparation and broadcasting of his intent.  In this case, the shooter gathered a shotgun, an ammo belt with ammo and a machete.  He made Molotov cocktails, packed them in a backpack and set out. He entered the school with a grudge and was in a mental state prepared to shoot another human.  

The motive of a reactive “revenge” killing is plausible but it does seem that his issues may have been piling up on him for a long time.  Press stories reveal the shooter was a gifted student who was outspoken and bullied for his beliefs. He was also enduring the recent divorce of his parents.  In the post-event analysis, it may come out that these factors contributed to this escalation.  It is likely to be revealed that the shooter did broadcast his intentions prior to the event as is typical of active shooters.  

Reaction to a broadcast….albeit late in the game

It is known that at the time of the attack the shooter did broadcast his intentions.  When he entered the school, he announced he was looking for the teacher who allegedly wronged him.  Quick thinking by those who heard this broadcast alerted that teacher who, in turn, fled the building. Law enforcement credited the flight as a good tactical decision which removed shooter’s intended target from his equation.  If the reports are accurate, the event lasted less than 90 seconds and the shooter was found dead inside the school within 20 minutes of it happening.  Getting the target out of the building may have shortened the event and saved lives.  

Active shooters intend more than death and end up leaving clues 

Active shooters can also be called avengers and avengers perceive an injustice. They announce their intentions ahead of time because they are similar to the stalker and the serial killer.  Their actions are not a cry for help; rather they do it for the thrill.  Avengers need to be remembered and they need to inflict psychological damage as well as physical.  This is their “fun”.  As an insider, this shooter broadcast his intentions on a specific target – the teacher. Outsiders, it is believed, triangulate their actions.  Their motives are more difficult to discern.  None-the-less, because of their need to be remembered and inflict psychological damage leaves them vulnerable to detection prior to the event.  

Shooter’s pre-event language is the key to detection

There is a point in time prior to an active shooting called the Pre-Event Threshold.  During this time, potential active shooters display certain behaviors and of critical importance utilize revealing language.  Being tuned into this language is necessary to stopping such events:  

1. Avengers start by perceiving an injustice
2. Avengers then feel victimized…listen for “because” or “but” in their language.
3. Avengers then externalize…..listen for “you”, “he”, “she”, “them”, “they” in their sentences. 
4. Avengers will then develop a grudge.  
5. Avengers will then become obsessed with the grudge.  This can be seen as a closed loop in their thinking.  All that they do or say is related to their obsession. 
6. Avengers finally take action.  They perceive it as their only option.

If a person is behaving in this manner, they are likely on a path to becoming an active shooter.  This intelligence should be believed and acted upon.  

A word of caution; be aware of people who minimize this information.  They reveal themselves by using the word “just” in sentences like “he’s just having a bad day”.  Don’t be fooled into ignoring this intelligence because you may be overlooking an obvious threat.  

I would like to acknowledge a significant influence for this post was Dr. John Nicoletti who explained these principals in a speech he gave at a safe school symposium held at Columbine High School in 2013