Case Study – Fighting Back Against a School Shooter

Lately it seems there has been a lot of interest in schools and colleges instructing teachers to fight back when confronted with an armed attacker. Certainly the thought of having teachers (and even students) being told to throw books and fight back against a gunman is incredible and counter-intuitive. Luckily no one ever told by Ryan Crowley, Jake Ryker, Josh Ryker, Douglas Ure, Davis Ure, Ada Walberger, Joshua Pearson and Travis Weaver not to fight back against a school shooter. In 1998, these seven students prevented an attacker from killing more of their schoolmates.

On May 20, 1998, 15year-old Kipland (Kip) Phillip Kinkel was expelled from school for possessing a loaded firearm. His father, Bill Kinkel, a 59 year-old Spanish teacher picked him up from the police station, where they stopped at a Burger King on the drive home.

This was not Kip’s first mishap and his obsession with guns was well known to his parents. In fact, his Dad even purchased him numerous weapons for Kip despite disturbing tendencies such as building bombs, torturing neighborhood cats, throwing rocks of freeway bridges and treatment for mental disorders that included hallucinating and hearing voices.

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Applying Tactical Decision Making to a School Shooting

Make no mistake, when a shooter is on your campus, you are in a combat situation that is dynamic and time-competitive. Delayed actions and/or ineffective decisions can cost lives. Delays or inaction on the part of administrators, teachers and even students create or maintain a window of opportunity that the shooter is sure to exploit.

A valuable system in understanding the importance of proper timely decisions in a critical incident is the OODA Loop (sometimes referred to as Boyd’s Cycle after its creator, retired U.S. Air Force Col. John Boyd). Being a student of and expert on tactical operations, Boyd detailed that in many of the battles, when one side as not able to keep up with the ever changing dynamics of a combat situation, that slower to react side was almost always defeated. In observing this, Boyd concluded that timely decision making is critically important and applied the phrase “time-competitive.”

According to Boyd’s theory, conflict can be seen as a series of time-competitive, Observe-Orient-Decide-Act (OODA) cycles. Conflict begins by each side observing their position, their surroundings and that of their adversary. Orientation is next. Orientation is critical because the dynamic nature of combat makes it impossible to process information as fast as it is observed. Orientation can be thought of as snap-shot approach to obtaining perspective. Once orientation is gained, it is time to decide.. The decision considers all factors that were present at during the orientation phase. Lastly, final process is to act on the decision.

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Preventing Targeted School Violence

After the Columbine shooting, Secret Service researchers and the Department of Education implemented the Safe School Iniative and offered suggestions for schools and parents. “Because information about these attackers’ intent and planning was potentially knowable before the incident, some attacks may be preventable,” the Secret Service says.

“However, because the time span between the attacker’s decision to mount an attack and the actual event may be short, quick responses are necessary.”
• Understand that violence is the end result of a process, which is understandable and often discernable. Students don’t snap.
• There are no accurate or useful profiles of school shooters. Focus on thinking and behavior, not traits.
• Targeted violence stems from an interaction among attacker, situation, setting, and target. Pay attention to the role of bystanders, people who know what is going to happen.
• Use an investigative mind-set. Rely on the facts of this specific case. Corroborate key information. Investigate communications. Talk to the circle of friends. Investigate weapon-seeking.
• Each case is different. Each requires an individual, fact-based approach.
• Reduce barriers to students telling what they know.
• Because many students brought in guns from home, consider issues of safe gun storage.
• Don’t look only for threats. Many students who posed a threat did not threaten.
• Improve handling of grievances.

This post is provided by SafePlans (www.safeplans.com), an all-hazards preparedness solution including emergency plans, staff training, and detailed site mapping.

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Train the Plan

An untested and untrained plan is little more than theory. After developing school/college emergency plans a training program should be designed to educate students, parents, teachers, staff, crisis team members and administrators in threat assessment procedures, emergency response, management policies and procedures. Once training is implemented, exercises should be conducted to test the plans and training.

Currently, most educational facilities have adopted a training philosophy that embraces performing extremely well under reasonable conditions, rather than performing reasonably well under extreme conditions. For example:

Lockdown, Weather, Earthquake & Fire Drills Deficiencies
Staff has advanced knowledge of the exact time of the drill and the drill occurs when all students are in the classroom.

Solution
After two or three successful drills, limit advanced knowledge to the day of the event and implement the drills during transition times. Note: Avoid conducting drills during meal periods, due to the costs associates with missed lunches. To test response, set up a mock lunch period with students and staff.

Once you have your drills up and running, it is time to conduct training exercises. Tabletop & functional exercises use vivid scenarios, guided by experienced and certified facilitators, to engage participants in discussions of how they would respond to hypothetical events. Tabletops are designed to be a non-threatening and relatively low cost approach to validating capabilities. Use Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program (HSEEP) based exercises to explore and validate plans, identify logical or structural conflicts or gaps in those plans and develop specific areas for further study and improvement. Scenario should be coordinated/developed with local emergency management and public safety.

Stay safe

Brad

This post is provided by SafePlans (www.safeplans.com), an all-hazards preparedness solution including emergency plans, staff training, and detailed site mapping.

Click here to learn more about the author

©2008 SafePlans, LLC

The Way NOT to Conduct a Lockdown Drill

Recently a school district implemented a surprise lockdown drill at an early learning center that included pretend bad guys using weapons firing blank rounds. If this school had armed teachers, like the school in Texas discussed in a previous post, I suspect I’d be writing about a completely different tragedy. As it is, the tragedy was only in training and that is where mistakes are supposed to happen.

http://map.schoolsafetynews.com/eventdetail.php?ID=987

When you get right down to it, security measures can accomplish two things: reduce risks and/or reduce anxiety. Sometimes measures that reduce risk actually increase anxiety. This is regrettable but the benefit of improved safety outweighs the impact of increased anxiety. Security measures that increase anxiety (such as the previously mentioned lockdown drill) should only be implemented when no other alternatives exist or the anxiety can be mitigated.

Clearly the district’s intentions were well meaning; after all most district won’t even allow lockdown drills. However, it does appear they were overzealous in their approach. FEMA recommends a progressive training approach of seminar, drill, tabletop exercise, functional exercise and full scale exercise. A lockdown training program should have the same crawl, walk, and run approach.

Utilizing the progressive FEMA training approach ,schools or colleges can introduce staff (and students) to lockdown responses during seminars. Drills designed to test one or two specific objectives are next. Initially, these drills should be structured and implemented in a no fault learning environment. Once the drill is reasonably well mastered, more advanced scenarios can be incorporated and additional objectives can be tested.

When developing a lockdown training program, consult with mental health experts to determine the effects of simulated combat scenarios and ensure student training is age appropriate. Make certain instructors can adequately address all aspects of planning for a shooter.

Stay safe
Brad

This post is provided by SafePlans (www.safeplans.com), an all-hazards preparedness solution including emergency plans, staff training, and detailed site mapping.
Click here to learn more about the author

©2008 SafePlans, LLC

Fighting Back Against an Active Shooter – You Have 3 Outs

By now most of you have probably heard of training programs that instruct students and teachers to fight back against an armed intruder by throwing books or chairs. Bringing a book to a gunfight sounds pretty crazy. But is it?

As with most tactical response options, whether or not to fight is situational and should be part of a broader strategy. If your school’s (K12 or Higher Ed) only active shooter preparedness effort is to tell people to throw books at a shooter that is a big problem. However, threat assessment programs, access control, lockdowns and law enforcement response to active shooter do not address what to do if the shooter is actually in the classroom.

When developing an active shooter response strategy, I recommend a 3 OUT approach.

1. Lock OUT. Lock the shooter (or potential shooter) out of the building or out of the classroom. This is the classic lockdown response.
2. Get OUT. If the shooter is in your area – RUN.
3. Take OUT. If the shooter is in your area and you cannot run – FIGHT.

To put it mildly, option 3 creates a huge tactical disadvantage. As such, it is unrealistic to expect people not be seriously hurt or killed. However, it is far more unrealistic to think hiding under desks will save any lives at all. In the Take OUT option, the is goal to try and save as many lives as possible.

If you are interested in this type of training, consult with your local law enforcement; and make certain the instructors can adequately address all aspects of planning for an shooter. Yes fighting is an option; but it should be your last option – so train appropriately.

Stay safe

Brad

This post is provided by SafePlans (www.safeplans.com), an all-hazards preparedness solution including emergency plans, staff training, and detailed site mapping.

Click here to learn more about the author

School Distirct Allows Teachers to Carry Weapons

In a move that garnered surprisingly little national attention a school district is allowing its’ teachers to carry guns; provided they possess a valid Concealed Carry Weapons permit.
http://map.schoolsafetynews.com/eventdetail.php?ID=893

In an interview published in several articles the Superintendent makes his case based on three points:

1. The District’s school is located 30 minutes from the nearest law enforcement office.
2. The proximity to a busy highway.
3. The creation of gun-free zones to blame for the increase in school shootings.

Let’s look at each of these points to see of they have merit.

Issue #1

Does a slow law enforcement response create a need for an armed presence at a school? Absolutely. A rapid armed response is the only way to stop a committed attacker. Remember, a school lockdown is designed to slow down an active shooter; creating time for Calvary to arrive. If left unchallenged, a shooter (or shooters) will certainly defeat locked doors. How much time do you have? That is a tough call. I remember at Jump School, during a final briefing before our first jump an instructor was asked “If our main shoot fails, how long do we have to pull our reserve?” Without missing a beat the sergeant said “Airborne, you go the rest of your life.” Suffice to say that if there is a shooter in your school, the Calvary cannot get there fast enough.

Issue #2

Does proximity to a busy roadway increase a school’s risk? This one isn’t so clear. What type of risk are we talking about? If the concern is peer to peer or custody related violence, the location is irrelevant. If the concern is from an external threat (such as Bailey, CO or Nickel Mines, PA ) then this location may be a risk enhancer.

Issue #3

Did the creation of gun-free school zones lead to an increase of school shootings? Not a chance. In its Safe School Initiative, the Secret Service conducted an exhaustive study to determine the causal factors of targeted school violence. Gun free zones weren’t in the ballpark – heck they weren’t even in the same sport.
For me the concern isn’t teacher’s having access to guns. It is identifying a risk to students and implementing an undertrained solution. In Texas (like most states) to obtain a CCW, you must take a 10-15 hour class and fire a total of 50 rounds with a score of 70 to pass. Shots are fired from 3, 7 and 15 yards and there is no recertification process. Is this adequate for personal protection? Sure. Does this prepare a teacher to respond to a shooting in a school environment? Not even close.

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First Day of School

Last school-year not go quite as planned? What a great time for a fresh start! Just as many students use the new school year as clean slate, a great deal of school administrators can take advantage of this opportunity too. Especially in regards to school safety.

When it comes to school safety, security and emergency preparedness, leadership has to start at the top. Certainly a lone teacher can greatly impact the safety of his or her students, but a school principal can set the standard. Good or bad. Superintendents, to understand your impact, simply multiply this by the number of schools. If your school/district needs to improve in these areas, a new school year is the perfect time to start.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Place a sign in your office that reads “Security is Never Convenient.” When the complaints come, and they will, point to the sign.
• Host a meeting with local law enforcement and fire officials to discuss your emergency plans and response strategies. Ask for their assistance and follow up on recommendations. Hold these meetings every quarter.
• Lock your doors. All of them. When people complain, show them the sign.
• Implement and enforce a sound visitors’ policy. Anyone who is not a student or an employee should not get past the main office (especially since the doors are locked). When parents complain, and some will, point to the sign.
• Talk to your staff about security and emergency preparedness (hopefully before school starts). Explain what is expected of them, tell them what to expect from you. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, get help. Help can come from local law enforcement, fire, emergency management or a private contractor – but get help.

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School District Says “No” to Armed Guards

As colleges, universities, schools and districts get ready for the start of another school year; Iowa City School District made a major security-related decision. They decided not to do anything and keep School Resource Officers (SRO’s), armed guards or unarmed security of any kind out of their schools.
According to an article the District committee that made this recommendation was comprised of principals, teachers, students and parents. Seemingly absent from the committee was law enforcement and/or security professionals.

This decision is extremely unfortunate. I firmly believe the single most valuable school safety improvement that can be implemented is placing a School Resource Officer in a school. School Resource Officers are law enforcement professionals that have receive specialized training to help them thrive in a school setting. Their roll goes far beyond that of security and is a great example of community based policing.
Certainly armed security guards can have considerable training and are an asset to school safety; but they generally lack the same level of training as an SRO. However, if a school district is asking a security officer to protect students from a violent attack; such as Columbine or Virginia Tech, unarmed security really isn’t security at all. That is not meant as an insult to unarmed security officers. Even the bravest firefighter usually requires some tools to protect and rescue people from an inferno. Security is no different. If your job is to stop a school shooter, a weapon is a requirement.
Principals, teachers, students and parents, asking to have a School Resource Officer assigned to your school is not a sign of trouble. It is a commitment to safety.
Remember, always collaborate with your local response agencies on emergency planning issues.
Stay safe!
Brad
This post is provided by SafePlans (www.safeplans.com), an all-hazards preparedness solution including emergency plans, staff training, and detailed site mapping.

Pipe Bomb Detonated at School Administrator’s Home

Summary
An improvised explosive device (IED) in the form of a pipe bomb was detonated outside the home of an official from an Indiana middle school. It was the second time in the last month that a device was planted in the mail box at this residence.
http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=8554147&nav=3w6o

Analysis
This action goes well beyond that of a prank as pipe bombs can cause serious injury or even death. It is highly probably that these bombings are connected to the homeowner’s position at the middle school. Placing IED’s in the mailbox could be a simple way to demonstrate the destructive effect of a pipe bomb. However, consideration must also be given to the possibility that the bomber is attempting to implement a device that is triggered by the opening of the mailbox.
In regards to actual bombings, the placement of IED’s in mailboxes is a fairly common. Unfortunately, school officials are the all too often the target of these criminal actions.
Key considerations:

1. School staff should implement and practice sound physical security measures at their homes. School districts and local law enforcement should consider providing security awareness training.
2. Before an IED is built, transported, placed and exploded in a mailbox, it is highly likely the bomber has recently practiced his craft.
3. Threat assessment programs, such as those discussed in previous postings, are an effective tool in predicting potentially violent behavior.
4. Recent bombings should give bomb threats within the district greater credibility.
5. Coordinate assessment and response strategies with law enforcement. The greater the collaboration before an incident the less confusion during an incident.

Stay safe
Brad

This post is provided by SafePlans (www.safeplans.com), an all-hazards preparedness solution including emergency plans, staff training, and detailed site mapping.