Active Shooter Incidents “ What You Need to Know”

Deputy Les Wiemers

Deputy Dan Heintz

Weld County Sheriffs Office

Aims Campus Resource Officers

Of all the animals, man is the only one that is cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for

the pleasure of doing it.

Mark Twain

Learning Objectives

Define the term “active shooter”

List measures that can be employed to reduce the

effectiveness of an active shooter.

Describe actions that can be expected from responding

law enforcement officers.

Class rules

Please interrupt me!!! If I’m going too fast, tell me to slow down.

If I’m going too slow, tell me to hurry up.

If you don’t understand, please ask questions.

If you want to interject, please do so.

I like interaction with the audience

About School Shootings

Not a New Phenomenon

No Geographic Region

is Excluded

On a national average 100,000 students

carry guns to school every year.

School shootings since 1992

Brief school shooting chronology

Aug 1, 1966 Austin, TX 14 killed, 30 wounded

Jan 29, 1979 San Diego, CA 2 killed, 9 wounded

Jan 17, 1989 Stockton, CA 6 killed, 30 wounded

May 1, 1992 Olivehurst, CA 4 killed, 10 wounded

Oct 1, 1997 Pearl, MS 2 killed, 7 wounded

Dec 1, 1997 Paducah, KY 3 killed, 5 wounded

Mar 4, 1998 Jonesboro, AR 5 killed, 5 wounded

Apr 20, 1999 Littleton, CO 13 killed, 24 wounded

Sep 27, 2006 Bailey, CO 1 killed, 0 wounded

Apr 16, 2007 Virginia Tech 32 killed, 17 wounded

Feb 14, 2008 Northern Ill Univ. 6 killed, 16 wounded

Dec 14, 2012 Sandy Hook Elem 27 killed, 0 wounded

Dec 13, 2013 Centennial, CO 2 killed, 0 wounded

Earliest Recorded School Killings July 26, 1764

“The Enoch Brown School Massacre”

Franklin County, Pennsylvania

Four Delaware American Indian warriors

stormed a log schoolhouse of white settlers.

The warriors then began scalping the children,

killing nine.

University of Texas at Austin August 1, 1966

Former Marine, barricaded self in

University’s 27 – story tower

Charles Whitman killed his

mother & wife the night before

Whitman killed 14 people and

wounded 30

Columbine High School April 20, 1999

“Within the span of 16 minutes, the gunmen killed

13 people and wounded 21

others. A savage act of

domestic terrorism, their

crime is the deadliest school

shooting in the history of the

United States”

Sheriff John P. Stone

Jefferson Co. Colorado

Deadliest School Massacre Virginia Tech 2007

Cho Sueng Hui

A student/mass murderer who shot

and killed 32 people

and wounded 17

others

Active Shooter Incident

Incident in which there is

the intentional random or

systematic shooting of

multiple victims in which

the shooters’ intent is to

continue the spree until

stopped by law

enforcement or suicide.

Active Shooter Defined

A suspect who is actively

shooting, causing death

and/or serious bodily

injury.

Threat is not contained

and there is immediate

risk of death or injury.

Profiling a Shooter

The FBI reports there have not been

enough incidents to form a comparison.

However, statistics give us a place to start.

Boys Will Be Boys

Males have accounted for 76.7% of offenders.

Characteristics of a Shooter

2.1 % 9 years of age or younger.

11% 10 to 12 years of age.

38% 13-15 years of age.

30.7% 16-18 years of age.

18.2% 19 years of age or older.

Luke Woodham I am not insane, I am angry. I killed because

people like me are mistreated every day. I

did this to show society, push us and we will

push back. … All throughout my life, I was

ridiculed, always beaten, always hated. Can

you, society, truly blame me for what I do?

Yes, you will. … It was not a cry for

attention, it was not a cry for help. It was a

scream in sheer agony saying that if you

can’t pry your eyes open, if I can’t do it

through pacifism, if I can’t show you through

the displaying of intelligence, then I will do it

with a bullet.

This was the hand written message Luke handed to

a friend minutes before he started his shooting

spree.

He assumed he would be killed that day as well.

Pearl High School (MS) Shooter.

Oct 1, 1997.

Stabbed his mother to death before going to school.

Active Shooters

Desire to kill without concern for

their safety or threat of

capture.

Normally has intended victims

and will search them out.

Accepts targets of opportunity

while searching for or after

finding intended targets.

Active Shooters

Will continue to move throughout building or area until

stopped by law enforcement, suicide, or other intervention.

Shooter usually acting out of frustration and rage.

Shooter is attempting to correct a perceived wrong against

them.

This has necessitated a change in tactics by law

enforcement.

Lessons Learned:

Columbine vs. Virginia Tech

Public Schools vs. Aims cont…

Unlike the public school system, Aims

facilities do not feature:

One centralized administrative office

Visitor access points

Similar monitoring and control of students and other people on

campus

Dense campus facility make-up

Aims Does Have:

A trained law enforcement presence and response

capability.

Agreements and procedures with local law enforcement.

Camera surveillance systems.

Campus emergency call boxes.

Solidly constructed facilities.

Most building have multiple escape routes.

Intercoms in every office and classroom.

Aims Does Have:

RAVE and Alertus:

Includes emergency text messaging, email,

and voicemail notification system called

“Rave”. Alert messages can be sent out

during a crisis to inform our community.

Additionally, Aims uses a new system called

Alertus. This system sends messages to

prepositioned emergency beacons located in

most hallways and on any computer on the

Aims secure network. The beacon emits an

alert tone and also flashes with red LED

lights to grab your attention. Additionally, the

college’s computer screens will be filled with

the emergency message and the action you

need to take.

Aims Does Have: The Rave Guardian Campus Safety

app allows students to create safety

profiles to alert friends and family when

they are walking alone.

It also features a safety timer to alert

campus security when a student does

not arrive at a planned destination

within a certain amount of time.

The app has a panic button that, when

pressed, alerts campus security of

where a student is located.

Must have a smart phone.

Instructions to download and

use the Rave Guardian is

located in the “Public Safety”

page of the Aims College

website.

What should I do…

Run

Hide / Lockdown

Fight

Run

If a safe path is

available…RUN!

Leave your belongings

Prevent others from

entering

Call 911 when safe

Hide/Lockdown

Lockdown! Locks, Lights, Out of Sight.

Occupants

• Move away from sight

• Maintain silence • Silence cell phones

Staff • Lock corridor door

• Pre-lock

• Turn out the lights

• Block the doors using whatever

is available…desks, file

cabinets, other furniture.

• Move away from sight

• Maintain silence • Silence cell phones

• Wait for responder to open door

• Account for all occupants

Cover vs Concealment

Concealment Obscuring something from view or rendering

it inconspicuous.

(Usefull)

Cover Anything which is capable of physically

protecting you from enemy fire.

(Priceless)

While in Lockdown

Stay Calm

Assure others that

you and law

enforcement are

working to protect

them.

If you are trained, treat the injured

Basic first aid

For bleeding apply pressure and elevate.

Rescue efforts will be delayed until the

shooter is stopped.

What If There is No Safe Areas?

If you find yourself in an open

area, immediately seek cover.

Put a physical barrier between

you and the suspect.

Remember…Cover vs

Concealment.

Consider your options:

-Escape

-Shelter in place

Fight As a last resort…FIGHT!

Be physically aggressive!

Use whatever weapons are

available. Improvise, Adapt, Overcome!

Fight with all out commitment and

above all else…

Survive!!!

Run > Hide > Fight !

The video you are about to see may be

difficult to watch. It depicts innocent

people being killed by a mass

murderer.

Viewer discretion advised

What Should I Know…

As discussed earlier, a shooter will not stop until his

objectives have been met, or unless engaged by law

enforcement.

Attempts to rescue people should not be made if they

will endanger other persons in a secured area.

A shooter may bang on the door and yell for help to

entice you to open the door.

Contact Emergency Personnel

Emergency 911

911 may be overwhelmed

Busy signal / Multiple rings

Aims SRO

970-539-2171

Call 911 Effectively

Stay calm!!

Know the location of the emergency and the number you are calling from.

Call 911 Effectively

Wait for the call-taker to ask questions, then answer clearly and calmly.

If you are in danger of assault, the dispatcher or call-taker will still need you to answer quietly, mostly "yes" and "no" questions.

Call 911 Effectively

Let the call-taker guide the conversation.

He or she is typing the information into a computer and may

seem to be taking forever. There's a good chance, however,

that emergency services are already being sent while you are

still on the line.

Follow all directions.

In some cases, the call-taker will give you directions. Listen carefully, follow each step exactly, and ask for clarification if you don't understand.

Call 911 Effectively

Keep your eyes open.

You may be asked to describe victims, suspects, vehicles, or other parts of the scene.

Do not hang up the call until directed to do so by the call-taker.

What to Report?

Your Exact Location

Building Name/ Office /

Classroom Number

Number of people at

your location

Number of People Injured

Types of Injuries

What to Report ?

Suspect information

Specific location

Number of suspects

Race/Gender

Clothing color and style

Physical features

Type of weapon(s)

Backpack or other equipment carried by shooter

• Do you recognize the shooter? What’s their name?

Prepare for L.E. Response

Active shooter events

are considered the

greatest terrorist

threat on campuses

You need to be aware of law

enforcement response plans

so you can take protective

measures.

What will Law Enforcement be doing?

Law Enforcement’s goal is to

locate, contain and stop the

shooter.

The best place for you is

inside a secure room.

The shooter will generally not

flee when law enforcement

enters the building.

Running down hallways provides the shooter with more targets and

slows law enforcement response.

The shooters main goal is not escape, but rather to kill as many

people as possible.

Remember !

Safety corridors will be established. This may

be time consuming.

Remain in secure areas until instructed to move by law

enforcement.

-You may be searched.

You will be escorted out of the building by armed police

officers when it’s safe.

Follow their instructions at all times.

What will Law Enforcement be doing?

DO NOT

– Have anything in your hands; officers are taught that “hands

kill”.

DO

– Raise your arms

– Spread your fingers

– Show hands as you drop to the floor

– Spread arms and legs

Interacting with Law Enforcement

When law enforcement enters the room,

don’t present a threat to them

• DO NOT – Point at them

– Make quick movements

– Run towards them or attempt to hug them

– Scream or yell

Interacting with Law Enforcement

DO NOT expect officers to initially assist you…

• Primary job is to locate the shooter and neutralize the threat

• Medical assistance will follow once the threat is neutralized

– Law Enforcement must assume everyone is a threat to

their safety

• Be prepared to:

– have weapons pointed at you

– be subject to searches

– be handcuffed

Interacting with Law Enforcement

Injured persons

Initial responding officers

will not treat the injured

until the scene is safe

and secure.

• You may need to explain this to others around you in an

attempt to calm them.

• Fire Rescue will respond as

soon as it is safe to do so.

Information will be released to the Aims community as soon as is

possible.

The entire area will be treated as a crime scene.

Once you have been evacuated, you will not be allowed to re-enter

the building.

After evacuation, you will be taken to a holding area for medical

treatment, interviewing and counseling.

The Investigation

Immediately report the incident

Take a leadership role

Seek and find a secure area

Remain calm, reassure others

Treat the injured, if possible

Know the law enforcement response

-Objective is to neutralize threat

Evacuation, wait until law enforcement arrives

Follow up medical care, interview, counseling

Summary

It’s difficult to predict a shooting event.

Each emergency is different and may require a different

response.

Assailants are not always students or associated with the

college.

Attacks are carefully planned and often times have a

specific target.

Closing Statement

Deputy Les Wiemers Deputy Dan Heintz

If we can be of any help please let us know.

Weld County Sheriffs Office

Aims Campus Resource Officers

Security: 970-539-2171

Les: 970-518-5136

Dan: 970-590-0415

Website: Weldsheriff.com

Thank you