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.  

Above and Beyond

The changing duties of the modern educator

First Love

I am not a teacher but if I were to guess, I’d say folks choose this profession because they literally love of something associated within the discipline.  And when I say love, I mean passionate love.  Not just a passing fancy but a real connection to something so deep and innate that it often cannot be verbalized to someone who is not an educator.  I say this because I believe that even to be a mediocre teacher an extraordinary level of dedication and drive is required.  Teachers pack more time, energy and effort into nine months than most people can generate in twelve.  There has to be a reason for this seemingly counterintuitive behavior and the only thing I can figure is that it is based on love.  What else drives people to such extremes other than survival itself? 

The Path

http://www.mlive.com

For many, the call to become a teacher leads one to college to be trained on the basics of a subject and teaching methodology.  This is a noble pursuit and colleges are quite capable of delivering entry level teachers to the workforce.  These neophytes are equipped to manage classrooms, deliver curriculum, educate and inspire which is what you would expect of a teacher.  What teacher colleges probably don’t teach very thoroughly is how to handle the wide variety of issues that walk through the doors of the school each and every day by the students themselves. It would be impossible to do so but there is no doubt that teaching is only one part of the job and unfortunately, that is the only part for which you earn a degree.  

Higher Calling

Ideally, a majority of a teacher's time should be spent on delivering services to students.  Whether it be content or skills, the time needed to effectively transfer concepts and ideas cannot be compromised or the teaching and learning will be compromised.  Schools, with their varied delivery models, logistics, diverse student needs and everything else that goes along with it are complicated machines.  Coordinating all these variables to ensure a viable education is nothing less than a high wire act.  Now, add to that the school’s duty to protect the students and educators.  Given the environment for many districts, the time and effort dedicated to this chore has consumed resources to the point of tipping the emphasis away from education itself. 

What to do?

When CSI set about devising a comprehensive approach to school safety and security, the authors took great care to consider the role of teachers, administrators and other school staff in the solution.  Knowing teachers are life long learners, (by law and by passion) the program leveraged this attribute by incorporating a significant educational component to those charged with care and protection of our nation’s children.  Sensible Solutions, the name of the program, delivers significant classroom and on-line training for educators which is designed to enable them to make meaningful contributions to the safety and security of their schools.  This is an often overlooked component of a security program and goes well beyond physical security and reactive measures yet it necessarily merges with and strengthens all components.    

What we found out

In implementing this program, we learned that the educators who go through the training come away with a tangible sense of empowerment.  They receive relevant information that gives them a new perspective on the science of violence, prevention, investigations, law enforcement, use of force, threat assessment and action planning.   They learn skills and gain an understanding of things they could never learn during their teacher training yet these tools are invaluable to ensuring an emphasis toward delivering services and not toward reacting to violence and other disruptions.  

Hungry to learn

As times change, and increasingly complex and potentially volatile issues enter schools, ensuring that learning remains the focus is critical.  A proper reaction to the paradigm shift is necessary to ensure that students get educated.  We observed that teachers are very eager to learn these skills and have the knowledge and programs in place to help students overcome violent propensities as well protect those around them.  Not surprisingly, they are passionate about protecting as well as educating their students.

Gangs & School Violence

Trends show changes in gang influences that cannot be ignored

Application delta

When considering plans to address school violence, the influence of gangs cannot be overlooked. Their impact on students is palpable in the decisions they make and the people they associate with. Gangs utilize violence for a myriad of reasons, most of which is to further their goals.  Like anything else, change is constant and gang behavior evolves as well. Unfortunately, a disturbing transformation has been observed in the way gangs apply their brand of violence that should be noted by schools.

The gang expert

Richard Garland

When CSI developed their Sensible Solutions school safety and security program, they enlisted the help of experts from a variety of fields including academia and law enforcement.  One contributor had a very unique and invaluable experience that was brought to the table and incorporated into the programming of this protocol.  Richard Garland, was a notorious gang member in Philadelphia at the height of the gang problem.  As a result of his actions, he forfeited over 20 years of his life to incarceration.  The good news is that Garland has put that life behind him and has moved on in a very positive way.  CSI consulted extensively with him during the development of the Sensible Solutions concept.

In the trenches

Garland earned his master’s degree in social work and is currently a visiting instructor at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health - Center for Health Equity.  In his capacity there, he researches gang violence, how it can be understood and ultimately how it can be prevented. Garland spends a lot of time gathering data from gunshot victims who are in the hospital recovering from gang inflicted wounds.  He seeks to understand the impetus of each event and as he does this, he gains first hand intelligence about the movements and motivations of gang members.

A terrible turn

From recent observations, Garland noticed concerning changes in the way gangs administer violence.  One of the observations has been the willingness to utilize violence against previously taboo targets.  In his time as a gang member, Garland recalled how no one would go after someone’s mother or their children.  Now, this has changed.  There is now a willingness to do things that were once considered “off limits” by gangs.

Taking advantage

What may be driving this trend is another observation he has uncovered. Garland noted that gangs are increasingly utilizing younger kids to do the most violent acts. He has encountered several instances where money was given to a young teen to perform a “hit” on someone much older than themselves. The solicitor of the hits are often in their late 20’s or early 30’s. These older influencers know that young kids are easily swayed by their age and status. And because of their youth they are capable of extreme violence with little or no reflection about the consequences.

You see it every day now

This movement toward youth can be seen in relationships forming in schools. Now, it is common to see underclassmen associating with upperclassmen. Gangs have discovered that younger kids will do just about anything for recognition and status and that can be achieved by doing unspeakable things for their older influencers.

Public policy and public housing

Another trend noticed by Garland has been the migration of gang members. He sees one reason for this movement is the closing of public housing facilities. As a result, gang members are moving to rent districts that previously did not have the direct influence of gang members in their communities. This has caused an influx of drugs, prostitution and the associated violence to move into areas unaccustomed to this effect. For schools, it is widely understood that whatever is happening in the community is ultimately brought through their doors. Knowing that this is happening, confronting this change should be a concern for school administrators.

Tough situation

Another side effect of the migration of housing changes is the intermingling of rival gangs. When one housing complex closes, people are often moved into available housing in a rival’s area. This has created tremendous tension and for the children caught up in this situation, they often find their lives to be very transient and fraught with violence. Again, these experiences are brought into schools on a daily basis.

Stepping up and providing solutions

To say the least, Garland’s work is invaluable to the development of violence mitigation and prevention measures. His life experience ranges from one end of the spectrum to the other and that wisdom is now being utilized for the greater good. Garland’s contribution to the Sensible Solutions protocol will certainly help school districts understand the how’s and why’s of gang influences and ultimately help them keep their schools safe.

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

Safe School Initiatives

Reasons to invest in violence prevention go beyond threat mitigation

Consequences of unsafe schools

juvenilejusticeblog.web.unc.edu

Research has shown that unsafe schools have been linked to poorer health in students and cause an increase in dropout rates. Academically, unsafe schools yield lower test scores and lower gains in academic performance over time.

Poorer performance from educators is also seen as a result of unsafe schools. What is worse, students who attend unsafe schools tend to take matters into their own hands when it comes to resolving conflict.

Academic enhancement supports reasons to fund safe schools initiatives 

Certainly investing in safety and security measures for the sake of creating a safe environment is the right thing to do.  But financially, to do all the things necessary to improve the situation may not be feasible.  But when you add in the academic benefits of improved safety to the equation, the paradigm changes and the leverage to secure funding may be increased.  This may be difficult to realize, however, as the synergies between safety and academic performance are not always palpable.

A safe school climate

Studies of safe schools revealed several common characteristics shared by these institutions.  And by looking at them side by side, you can see safety and security measures enable the existence of these attributes.  

1. The main focus of educators and management is academics.    
2. Genuine respect between peoples is evident.
3. Positive attitudes which manifest themselves through a moral respect for the school.  School is a place that is cared for by students and teachers.  It is a place they like to attend.
4. Effort and achievement is recognized and rewarded.  
5. Fairness. Discipline rules are clearly stated and equally enforced. Nothing creates more resentment when one group (say athletes) gets away with more or are treated more leniently than another group.  This breeds hatred, anger and ultimately violence.  Even a perception of unequal justice factors into behavior.
6. A clean and orderly school.  Custodial staff is given support and due respect.  Teachers make diligent efforts to mitigate chaos in hallways. Both custodians and teachers are engaged with students in the halls.
7. High teacher morale and exceptional professional performance.  

Evaluate and then evaluate again

Efforts to keep schools that are currently safe as well as efforts to rehabilitate schools that are unsafe have something in common.  How to get there or how to sustain it requires continuous process improvement.  Part of the cycle of improvement is to assess the current situation.  Assessment is a place to start or is can be a place to re-evaluate.  Either way, it is critical to success.

Get the money, make the effort

If you secure funding and commit to the journey of making a school safer, you and your safety and security consultant may benefit from incorporating the following suggestions in the plan of action:  

1. Start with taking an inventory of the school’s climate based upon the characteristics of a safe school as mentioned above.  
2. Listen to the students.  To be aware of the level of bullying, drugs, and unhealthy peer pressure going on, go to the source. 
3. Break the code of silence.  Students who act as informants are afraid of reprisal, not only against themselves, but also against the person they are telling on.  This reveals the importance of #5 above. The perception of unequal justice or excessive punishment that could ruin a student’s life, even though that student may be a threat to the safety of others, causes informants to say nothing.    
4. Invest time and treasure in bullying prevention and intervention programs with unambiguous policies and procedures that support these efforts. 
5. Promote a culture of safety and respect.  This has to start at the top.  
6. Take steps to ensure all students have a trusting relationship with at least one adult.  Even if it is not a family member. 
7. Make continuous process improvement part of any safety and security program.  This ensures you sustain the progress you made and helps to improve upon your successes.   

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