The past two decades have clearly demonstrated that schools are not immune to violent attacks. Active shooters tend to seek out places of mass gatherings, like schools, in order to shock our conscience and to have a large, fatal impact. That is why it is imperative that law enforcement agencies and communities are prepared with the knowledge they need to respond to and deter these events.

As chief of a campus police department, I know firsthand how rapidly these incidents can occur. Two years ago this month, my department was able to thwart a planned massacre on campus. Due to the quick response of my officers and the call to campus police by the gunman’s roommate, the gunman was unable to harm other students before taking his own life. What we have learned from previous active shooting incidents, such as those at Columbine High School, Colorado; Sandy Hook Elementary School, Connecticut; and the Aurora, Colorado, theater, is that active shooters inflict casualties in rapid order, generally before officers or other emergency responders can even be summoned. In spite of this disadvantage, it has been recognized that even one or two armed officers can make a difference in the outcome of active shootings by taking swift but calculated individual or coordinated action. For example, recently, just a few hours down the road from my community, Florida State University experienced an active shooter incident. Officers took immediate action, and, thankfully, the only fatality that occurred was the gunman. Given this incident and similar scenarios, current thinking reemphasizes that, with proper justification as defined by law and departmental policy, taking immediate action during active shooter incidents, rather than waiting for specially equipped and trained officers, can save lives and prevent serious injuries. We know that time lost by delayed action is likely to result in additional casualties.

Law enforcement agencies must be prepared to respond to active shooter incidents, whether they be at a school, in a shopping mall, a movie theater, or some other place of mass gathering. That preparation should include training for all personnel likely to respond to an active shooter situation. This training could include scenario-based exercises, preparation in rapid response, joint training with fire and EMS personnel, and training on equipment that may be used in rapid response.

Although each one of these incidents is unique and the response and methods may vary slightly, it is imperative that we work together to share lessons learned and develop an aggressive response and prevention model that will allow law enforcement agencies to prevent or mitigate the horror of active shooter situations.

To that end, I encourage you to review the IACP Model Policy on Active Shooters. You can obtain a copy of this model policy (at no cost for members) by visiting the IACP’s National Law Enforcement Policy Center (www.theiacp.org/policycenter).

The IACP also has a Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence. This guide was prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and provides a number of strategies and approaches for creating safer schools. In particular, the report focuses on steps that law enforcement, teachers, administrators, parents, students, and the community can take to prevent school violence. In addition, the report details critical recommendations related to threat assessment, crisis planning, and response during and after an incident. A copy of the report can be found at www.theiacp.org/Portals/0/pdfs/schoolviolence2.pdf.

We hope that these resources will help you and your departments prevent school violence and deal with active shooter situations. While we hope you never receive that emergency call, it is essential that active shooter policies, training, and protocols are in place in order to swiftly respond and safeguard the children and others we are sworn to protect. ♦

Please cite as:

Richard Beary, “Working to Make Our Schools Safe,” President’s Message, The Police Chief 82 (March 2015): 6.