Connecticut Judicial Branch Active Shooter Awareness Preparedness Active
Connecticut Judicial Branch Active Shooter: Awareness & Preparedness
Active Shooter A suspect whose uncontained activity can immediately cause death and/or serious bodily injury through the use of a firearm: v Unpredictable v Evolve quickly v Continue until stopped by armed law enforcement, suicide, or intervention
Active Shooter An active shooter may be: v Current or former employee v Litigant in a pending or former case v Family member or friend of an employee v Someone with no association with those in the courthouse
Increased Incidents n Active shooter incidents – drastic increase since 2008 n FBI statistics for 2013 – incident occurs about every three weeks n Police response varies. Little as three minutes. Long as 15 minutes. Or longer.
Active Shooter Incidents Occur v Where we: v. Shop v. Exercise free speech v. Socialize v. Learn v. Work
CT INCIDENTS Matthew Beck: 1998 CT Lottery, Newington CT; Killed 4 supervisors before killing himself v v Omar Thornton: 2010 Hartford Distributors Warehouse, Manchester CT; killed 8 people before turning gun on himself v Adam Lanza: 2012 killed 20 children & 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School
CT Court-Related Shootings Family Violence Incident v June 2005: Michael Bochicchio, Middletown Judicial District -- adjacent parking area v Shot and killed wife v Wounded her attorney v Fatally shot himself
Why Provide Awareness Training? Center for Personal Protection and Safety Trained Untrained Startled & fearful Feel anxious Recall what they have learned Prepare to act as rehearsed Panic Fall into disbelief Commit to action Descend into helplessness Lost in denial
Prepare in Advance v Do you have an action plan in place? v Have you discussed this with other employees? v Have you thought about an exit strategy? v Have you identified areas of shelter?
Survival Options
The Survival Mindset v Awareness: “Be mindful, not fearful” v Preparation: Ask “what if” questions so that you may be better able to respond v Rehearsal: Know and practice your plan
Awareness & Preparedness Providing Options for Consideration v Assess what is going on v Believe what you hear and see v Pick an option v Reassess! There is no “one & done” strategy
The Survival Mindset v Take direct responsibility for your personal safety and security v Activate the duress alarm v Do not pull fire alarm v Do not wait for instructions
Active Shooter Survival What is your best course of action? Get Out: v Have an escape plan in mind v Have an alternate plan picked out that you are also familiar with v Evacuate regardless of whether others agree (take responsibility for your life) v. Leave belongings behind v. Help others escape, if possible v. Prevent persons from entering an area occupied by the active shooter v. Call 911 when you are safe
Active Shooter Survival What is your best course of action? Hide Out / Keep Out: v If you decide hiding is the best option: v. Find a spot out of the active shooter’s view v. Try to find a location that does not restrict movement v. Turn off lights, close and lock all windows and doors v. If safe to do so, get everyone onto the floor v. Silence your cell phone and remain quiet v. Cover/Concealment – which is better? v Is it your best option?
Active Shooter Survival What is your best course of action? Take Out: v As a last resort and only in imminent danger v If there are two or more of you, make a plan v. Attempt to incapacitate the active shooter v. Act aggressively, improvise weapons and throw items v Assume shooter’s intentions are lethal v Develop a survival mindset that you “have what it takes” to survive when your life is on
Contact with Law Enforcement v Remain calm, keep your hands up above your head, fingers apart and follow instructions v Officers are there to eliminate threat v Wait for police to come and find you
Arkansas Courthouse 2011 v September 13, 2011 v Suspect -- James Palmer v Weapons -- Assault type rifle and two handguns in thigh tactical type holsters v Judges’ Secretary wounded, survived v Palmer killed in shoot-out with police
Key Security Points
Key Security Points v Secondary access doors must remain closed when not in use v Respect and maintain controlled access in all facilities v No tailgating!
Key Security Points What to report ? Open doors/windows v Unsupervised brief cases, back packs, diaper bags v Suspicious activity/behavior v Video or photo taking v Unidentifiable persons in restricted areas v
Security = Constant Vigilance “Security is not a one-time achievement. It is a serious and continuous goal and requires constant vigilance. ” National Center for State Courts, Revised 2013
TELL A JUDICIAL L A H S R A M
Questions? For follow-up questions, contact: Melanie Kerr Office: 860 -706 -5320 Email: Melanie. Kerr@jud. ct. gov
Works Cited “Active Shooter: How to Respond. ” U. S. Department of Emergency Management & Homeland Security. http: //www. dhs. gov/active-shooter, March, 2012. “Active Shooter: Awareness, Preparedness, Survival. ” Judicial Security United States Marshals Service. District of Arizona. Rich. Tracy@usdoj. gov. May, 2013. Coffey, Gary, Supervisory Special Agent, FBI, Boston Division; Cyr, Ian, Police Lieutenant, University of Massachusetts Police Department; Prior, Richard, Major, MA State Police; Washington, Aaron, Sergeant, MA State Police; Spivey, Randy, Center for Personal Protection & Safety. “Active Shooter Preparation & Response Workshop. ” Paxton, MA. Sponsored by FBI Citizen’s Academy Alumni Association. Boston, MA. March 28, 2013.
Works Cited Benson, David, Center for Personal Protection and Security. “Active Shooter Response – Training and Program Development Workshop. ” Paxton, MA. Sponsored by FBI Citizen’s Academy Alumni Association. Boston, MA. May 23, 2013. “Active Shooter: What You Can Do, ” (IS-907). Instructor Guide & Power Point Template. Federal Emergency Management Agency & National Protection & Programs Directorate/Office of Infrastructure Protection, U. S. Department of Homeland Security. http: //www. training. fema. gov/EMI. July, 2013. Bullseye Images. Stock Pictures, Royalty Free. http: //www/123 rf. com/stock-photo/bullseye. html. July 1, 2013. Kelly, Raymond W. “Active Shooter: Recommendations and Analysis for Risk Mitigation. ” Counterterrorism Bureau, New York City Police Department. New York, 2012.
Works Cited Spivey, Randy. “Shots Fired: When Lightening Strikes. ” Training Briefings & Video. Center for Personal Protection and Security. Spokane, WA. April, 2013. Blair, J Pete, and Schweit, Katherine W. (2014). A Study of Active Shooter Incidents, 2000 -2013. Texas State University and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U. S. Department of Justice, Washington D. C. 2014 Mc. Cune, Mark. Crawford County Courthouse. Video of Arkansas courthouse shooting incident, September 13, 2011.
Photographs 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Photograph on slide 2 provided courtesy of Federal Emergency Management Agency & National Protection & Programs Directorate/Office of Infrastructure Protection, U. S. Department of Homeland Security “Active Shooter: What You Can Do, ” (IS-907). Instructor Guide & Power Point Template. Photograph of the CT Lottery building courtesy of Murpedia. org/male. B/b/beck-matthew-photos. htm Photograph of Omar Thornton provided courtesy of Wikipedia. http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/File: Omar_S. _Thornton. j. Photograph of Adam Lanza provided by Western Connecticut State University, reprinted with permission, © 2008 Photograph of Kaufman County courthouse shooting provided courtesy of Dallas News. www. dallasnews. com.
Photographs 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Photograph of Jefferson County courthouse shooting provided courtesy of KHOU News. www. khou. com. Photograph of Middletown CT shooting provided courtesy of Associated Press. www. ap. org. Photographs on slides 6 and 15 provided courtesy of City of Houston, Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security. “Run. Hide. Fight” Video. PO Box 1562, Houston Texas, 77251. Photographs on slides 4 and 23 provided courtesy of Center for Personal Protection and Security. Spokane, WA. “Shots Fired” Instructor Manual. All other photographs provided by the CT Judicial Branch.
- Slides: 29