Active Shooter Events and Response

Historical Perspective of Active Shooter Events
Specialization of the Police
The Turning Point
New Response Protocols
Increased Complexity of Events
The Terrorist Active Shooter Threat
Beslan, Russia
Mumbai, India
Norway
The Mexico Threat
Active Shooter Events in the United States from 2000 to 2010, WITH M. HUNTER MARTAINDALE
Methodology
Search Strategy
Data
Coding
Results
Characteristics of the Events
The Shooter
Resolution of Event
Preparing for the Event
Primary Goals of the Active Shooter Response
Stop the Killing
Stop the Dying
Concept and Principle-Based Training
General Training Philosophy
Concept and Principle-Based Training
The Mind-Set of the Modern First Responder
The Law Enforcement Warrior
On-Scene Leadership and the Active Shooter Response
Equipment
En Route and Actions Outside the Building
En Route
Priorities of Work
Gather Intelligence
Arrival on Scene
Outside the Building
Approaching the Crisis Site
Breaching into the Crisis Site
A Final Note on Breaching into a Crisis Site
Entry and Confronting the Threat
Concepts and Principles of Team Movement inside a Structure
Stay Together as Much as Possible
540° Cover around the Team
Communication
Cover the Angles
Threshold Evaluation
Speed of Movement
Room Entry
Keys to Effective Room Entry
The Room Entry Process
Improvised Explosive Devices
Effects of an Explosion on the Human Body
Refuge from an Explosive Device (Distance, Angles, and Air Gaps)
Three Rules for Dealing with Explosives
Common Types of Detonators Used with IEDs
Hand-Delivered Devices Used against the Team
Bomb Cover and Bomb Go
Postengagement Priorities of Work
Security
Immediate Action Plan
Medical
Tactical Emergency Casualty Care
CCP Location
A Note on Blast Injuries
Linkup Procedures
Priorities for Incident Commanders during the "Stop the Dying" Phase of Response
Provide Security and Quick Reaction Force
Clear Evacuation Route for Victims
Establish a Casualty Collection Point
Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events
The Role of Civilians during Active Shooter Events
Disaster Response
Denial
Deliberation
The Decisive Moment
Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events
Denial
Deliberation and the Decisive Moment
What to Expect When the Police Arrive
Policy
Appendix
Index

Biography

J. Pete Blair is an associate professor of criminal justice at Texas State University and the director of research for ALERRT. Dr. Blair earned his PhD in criminal justice from Michigan State University and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law enforcement and justice administration from Western Illinois University. His current research is focused on active shooter events and best practices. He has published research on a variety of policing issues in numerous journal articles and book chapters.

David Burns has been a deputy sheriff in Texas since 1995 and is one of the founding members of the ALERRT program. He also currently serves as a SWAT team leader, where he has been assigned since 1997. Prior to law enforcement, he served for seven years with the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and is a veteran of the Persian Gulf War.

Terry Nichols is the assistant director of the ALERRT Center at Texas State University-San Marcos. He retired from the San Marcos Police Department at the rank of commander in January 2010 after serving over 21 years with the department. His last assignment included commanding the Criminal Investigation Division as well as the Hays County SWAT team, where he served for over ten years. Terry worked numerous assignments for the department over his career, including patrol, narcotics, training, and administration. During his tenure in the Training Division, he led the development and creation of the ALERRT Center in San Marcos. He has a BS degree (1991) and an MS degree (1997) from Southwest Texas State University.

John Curnutt has been a police officer in Texas since 1995 and is the director of training for ALERRT. John has been with the training program since the beginning. He is also a SWAT team leader with over 14 years of experience on the team. John’s past assignments with his agency include working as a School Resource Officer (SRO) in the patrol division. Prior to law enforcement, he studied criminal justice at Texas State University-San Marcos after serving in the US Army’s Arctic Light Infantry immediately after high school.

"This important and authoritative book provides a highly useful and well-written overview of significant active shooter events … . Based on the authors’ extensive experience in training and research into active shooter events, the information presented in this book truly is, as they claim, "state-of-the-art, evidence-based best practices."
—International Association for Counterterrorism & Security Professionals Reader’s Lounge