There is a military axiom that says you must have the ability to improvise, adapt and overcome in the face of your adversary. No more so is this evident than in the wake of an attack like the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting on October 1.
A new template
The killer in Las Vegas adapted a new template for active killers by:
- Carefully planning, preparing and approaching his victims undetected.
- Capturing the high ground.
- Preparing a sniper’s nest.
- Choosing a killing location that was difficult to spot, difficult to reach and difficult to breach.
- Choosing victims who were crowded together, devoid of cover and without mobility.
- Identifying a killing ground where surface and conditions were ideal to increase the death and injury toll due to lack of cover and ricochets, as well as the natural crush of the crowd.
- Using multiple pre-loaded, bump-stock-equipped-weapons to rain down a high volume of fire.
- Using the noise of the event to cover his gunfire.
- Using cameras to monitor the approach of security and police.
Without yet knowing his motive, this active shooter achieved what most shooters are going for, which is “top score.” If not for the police and security response, there could have been many more victims.
Overcoming
The first order of business for law enforcement in all active shooter events is to stop the threat. This task was made difficult for Las Vegas law enforcement by the suspect’s precise pre-event planning. However, Las Vegas police followed a tried and true formula: They located the shooter and used the chaos created by the suspect to advance undetected. Then they pressed him and engaged him, which inspired the killer to kill himself rather than face apprehension.
While moving to neutralize the threat, you can gather intelligence from fleeing witnesses, using your knowledge of cover and concealment to direct many to a safe location.
Adapting
1. Long-gun training
Considering the weaponry this suspect had, officers nationwide should practice with great earnest with their weapons, especially their long guns. Officers are often under-trained with long guns. You should be so proficient with all your weapons that they become an extension of your very being.
2. Breaching barrels
Breaching explosives were used in this situation. This specialized training can’t be offered to all patrol officers, but departments should consider acquiring breaching barrels for some twelve gauge shotguns, and to make available breaching rounds for quick access and deployment in exigent circumstances by patrol. However, obtaining specialized training – before using them – is an absolute necessity.
Improvising
Officers at these mass casualty events face multiple victims with devastating wounds that need immediate emergency treatment and transport. Few jurisdictions can marshal the resources to accomplish this in a timely manner.
Recognizing you can superbly prepare yourself for these events by enhancing your emergency (tactical) medical training is important. However, even an officer trained in the use of and equipped with a tourniquet, bandages and QuikClot will find themselves immediately out of supplies after treating a victim or two.
With ambulances and fire units overwhelmed, or unable to reach you, police officers at the scene of mass casualties can facilitate the saving of many lives by:
- Constantly assessing (performing triage): ‘What now?” and with that done, “What next?”
- Remembering more hands can do more. Enlist the aid of trained citizens on scene such as doctors, nurses and EMS providers who are willing to help.
- Enlisting the aid of untrained citizens willing to help. You can direct them to do one important job such as how to keep an airway open, apply pressure on a wound, treat shock or perform a rescue carry with you.
- Using any available materials for temporary bandages. A clean shirt, cloth napkins or towel can become a temporary pressure bandage. A baggie or glove can temporarily cover a sucking chest wound. A bandana and a pen can be improvised to make an emergency tourniquet when absolutely necessary if you are trained to do so.
- Effecting a one-person, two-person or three-person rescue carry that you teach to citizens and fellow officers to quickly move victims to a transport staging area.
- Effecting a chair carry to quickly move a wounded person to a transport staging area.
- Using a folded table or air mattress turned into a stretcher to do the same. You can commandeer a luggage cart or anything with wheels for this purpose as well.
Moving a subject immediately may be necessary if the wounds are severe or if an explosion is a part of the event. Secondary devices are often set to target first responders, making movement imperative.
In “normal circumstances,” ambulances transport victims to the hospitals. Liability concerns inspire departments to formulate policy, which often discourage or even prevent officers from conducting emergency transports. However in Las Vegas and the Aurora theatre shooting, some citizens, as well as officers, proceeded to load and go, thereby saving many lives. This is a good time to re-examine your department’s policy in regard to emergency transports.
Calm in the storm
Considering the fact this was a peacetime sniper incident in a major metropolitan area targeting a major entertainment venue – a unique situation – the response mustered by the Las Vegas officers, both on- and off-duty, was amazing. The officers’ courageous actions clearly saved lives.
Sadly, the incident demonstrated what can happen and, therefore, what may happen again. With the proper training and confidence you too can ensure you and your fellow officers may be what an apocalyptic scene such as this one needs some day. You may be the police professional who is the calm in the eye of the storm.
