WASHINGTON - The FBI is in the midst of a vast training program aimed at preparing 30,000 officers across the country to confront active shooters in schools, businesses and public places. FBI Deputy Director Mark Giuliano told USA TODAY that the effort, born in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school massacre in 2012, is the largest of its kind; more than 200 agents are committed to help complete the task. The bulk of the work is to be done next year. We have found a block of training that, in a short period of time, provides the best investment in saving lives, Giuliano said, and it fills the void in how to respond to such events. The deputy director said the program - a partnership with Texas State University - builds on grim lessons learned from scores of shootings, including the Newtown tragedy. The most effective means of limiting casualties is shaving seconds from the time it takes to locate and eliminate suspects. If we dont get the initial response right, its always going to be a train wreck, said Terry Nichols, assistant director of Texas States Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center. You have to stop the threat. That means urging first responding officers to move quickly toward the gunfire. Thats hard to do, even if you are a law enforcement officer. Within the next year, a similar FBI program is likely to be rolled out for operators of large sports stadiums across the country. Authorities have long feared that such venues could be so-called soft targets for attacks. They have asked us for our assistance, Giuliano said, declining to identify the stadium operators or their league affiliations. The mass training efforts come in the wake of a steadily mounting number of active shooter incidents that have played out in virtually every corner of American life, from schools and workplaces to churches and shopping malls. In a 14-year review of such incidents released this year, the FBI found that the number of incidents increased from an average of 6.4 per year during the first half of the study to 16.4 per year during the second half of the examination. The FBI reviewed incidents that occurred from 2000 to 2013. Of the 160 incidents identified, 64 (40%) were categorized as resulting in mass killings, incidents in which three or more people were killed. Thirty-nine of the mass killing incidents occurred during the second half of the 14-year period studied. These have been happening at a rate of more than one a month in recent years, Nichols said. They are high-consequence events that require preparation, or the response is always going to be a wreck. Authorities declined to discuss specific tactical training strategies, but the two-day sessions attempt to teach officials how to manage all aspects of attacks, from the basic direction of emergency vehicles to and from scenes, to ensuring at least some officers are able to field-treat the wounded. We would prefer that they had some kind of knowledge on hemorrhage control, Nichols said, because its not always going to be possible to immediately bring in firefighters and EMS (emergency medical services). The training is being deployed to every part of the country. Sessions are scheduled in Anchorage, Hawaii and San Juan, Puerto Rico. To complete the program within the dedicated 18-month time period, many newly trained officers are becoming instructors and taking the programs to colleagues and agencies throughout their regions. The new urgency to prepare officers to confront such threats plays out against a backdrop of potentially discouraging statistics relating to active shooter incidents. Of the 160 incidents examined in the recent FBI report, nearly 67% ended before police could respond. In those cases, the incidents often ended when the shooter committed suicide or fled or when a citizen intervened. I would say that even if we were able to respond (in time to confront the attacker) 20% of the time, this training would be worth it, Giuliano said. Its really hard to say how many lives can be saved. But there is no question in my mind that when an officer engages, it makes a difference. No question. ~Michelle
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 15:58:32 +0000
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