I recall a security briefing at the CIA in the early 1980s in which they were discussing a change in security posture. Traditionally, security was designed with the expectation the bad guy wanted to escape. As those who wish to do us harm became more committed, it became clear that escape wasn’t a part of their plan. Security measures had to be strengthened to stop those who only wished to enter and cause great damage with no intention of leaving.
Unfortunately, horrific events have changed law enforcement strategy. Prior to 9/11, the suggested strategy if on a hijacked plane was to sit it out and wait for the negotiators and tactical teams to respond to the problem. The belief then was the longer the incident lasted, the safer the hostages became. After 9/11, we now know to immediately engage. Similarly, the strategy to an armed situation in a public location was to “contain and wait.” These were sound strategies at the time because they fit the mindset of the criminal at the time. In the post 9/11 world, we now know if active shooters or terrorists take over a hotel, public event, or school, they probably have no interest in money or escape. They don’t want to live. What they want is to obtain publicity, terrorize, and inflict casualties — preferably among the most innocent (our children).
Knowing this, what should we do if we are faced with an active shooter situation? There are generally two schools of thought. One side proposes an aggressive action moving immediately to the threat. The other side recommends waiting until more officers arrive to conduct a rehearsed response such as in a diamond formation. One group accuses the other of lacking in courage. And the other accuses the first of lacking in intelligence. I prefer to personalize the situation by asking, “What would I want an officer to do if there were an active shooter in my son’s school?”
If it were you child or loved one, I’d guess you’d want the officer on scene to take the action that was most likely to result in your loved one surviving unharmed.
Clint Eastwood/Dirty Harry once said a man has got to know his limitations. What are yours? What can you do in an active shooter situation? If the answer is “not much,” now would be a good time to work on that or find another profession. We need to think of how we’d respond long before the call ever comes. Now would be a good time to come up with a plan. Do you always have a ready bag with you in the trunk of your car? What’s in it? What if the active shooter takes place when you’re on foot. What do you always carry on your person? Your planning needs to encompass all possible situations in which you would conceivably find yourself. Do you ever go out in public without being armed? (Of course not!) But if you do, what would be your response then? Could you still play a role?
While I was in charge of tactical training for the FBI Los Angeles office, a fellow tactical instructor and I had the luxury of providing almost weekly tactical, force-on-force training to a wide variety of law enforcement agencies and military personnel. We brainstormed with all of these agencies in an attempt to identify what worked best in various situations. We were able to experiment with a wide variety of strategies and techniques, fine-tuning the training until participants could safely, and rapidly, clear a structure in an active shooter scenario.
From a tactical standpoint, here are some of the things we learned.
First, is it feasible for the first officer arriving on scene to respond alone? The answer is, “it depends.” If back-up is seconds away, it probably wouldn’t hurt to wait. Many departments require at least a two officer response as it is considerably safer for two officers to clear a structure than one. If back-up is minutes (or, in some rural areas) hours away, you wouldn’t wait. I go back to the mindset of what if it is my child that needs to be rescued? I would want the officer to eliminate the threat as quickly as possible and save my child. But I also wouldn’t want the officer to move so quickly as to get killed. A dead officer does my child no good and now more families will be grieving.
There are lots of formations and theories on how best to respond (the diamond, the snake, etc.).
But how can most officers — without extensive training with tactical teams — respond safely and effectively? The answer we found was to build on the CQB tactics all officers are already familiar with. Officers are proficient at visual clearing and probably conduct visual clears on a regular basis. The only difference in an active shooter scenario is to do the visual clears much more quickly. In our force-on-force scenarios, we discovered officers can usually “move to the sound of gunfire” quickly and safely. There is always a possibility you may unknowingly bypass a second shooter who was laying in wait for an ambush, but if you move quickly through danger areas, you have a better chance of survival.
Recognize fatal funnels (hallways, stairways, and doors) and danger areas (locations that could conceal a threat). Once you near the location of shooting, slow down a microsecond — you aren’t going to do anyone any good dead. There is no benefit to rushing blindly into a room, exposed to gunfire, while you attempt to find the shooter. Slice the pie (quickly), conduct a quick-peek to the corners, and then engage threats from behind cover if possible.
I recognize there is some controversy about the use of a quick-peek. Our experience has been that it is invaluable. It is impossible to clear the corners with a slice-the-pie technique. Many times, even if you make a good dynamic entry and the bad guy is in a corner, the result is a tie. And a tie means you get shot as well as the bad guy. Take the fraction of a second to quick-peek corners before exposing your body to a threat.
When we conducted drills with different agencies, those individuals and teams conducting an Active Shooter response with fast visual clears moved just slightly slower than groups running full speed to contact with the threat. And the visual clear teams were much faster than many of the teams that were moving in an established formation. Most importantly, the officers using visual clears were far more successful in eliminating the threat in force-on-force training.
Finally, realize any strategy you use takes practice. I suggest you practice clearing your own home as quickly as possible using fast visual clears. My wife and I do it for fun and bonding time. Find what works for you. Prepare. Train hard. People are counting on you.
