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• Study of the Pre-Attack Behaviors of Active Shooters in the United States Between 2000 and 2013

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  "In 2017 there were 30 separate active shootings in the United States, the largest number ever recorded by the FBI during a one-year period. With so many attacks occurring, it can become easy to believe that nothing can stop an active shooter determined to commit violence. [...] Faced with so many tragedies, society routinely wrestles with a fundamental question: can anything be done to prevent attacks on our loved ones, our children, our schools, our churches, concerts, and communities? There is cause for hope because there is something that can be done. In the weeks and months before an attack, many active shooters engage in behaviors that may signal impending violence. While some of these behaviors are intentionally concealed, others are observable and -- if recognized and reported -- may lead to a disruption prior to an attack. Unfortunately, well-meaning bystanders (often friends and family members of the active shooter) may struggle to appropriately categorize the observed behavior as malevolent. [...] Once reported to law enforcement, those in authority may also struggle to decide how best to assess and intervene, particularly if no crime has yet been committed. By articulating the concrete, observable pre-attack behaviors of many active shooters, the FBI hopes to make these warning signs more visible and easily identifiable. This information is intended to be used not only by law enforcement officials, mental health care practitioners, and threat assessment professionals, but also by parents, friends, teachers, employers and anyone who suspects that a person is moving towards violence."

  United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation

  Silver, James; Simons, Andre B.; Craun, Sarah

  2018-06
• Active Shooter Incidents in the United States in 2016 and 2017

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  "The FBI has designated 50 shootings in 2016 and 2017 as active shooter incidents. Twenty incidents occurred in 2016, while 30 incidents occurred in 2017. As with past FBI active shooter-related publications, this report does not encompass all gun-related situations. Rather, it focuses on a specific type of shooting situation. The FBI defines an active shooter as one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. Implicit in this definition is the shooter's use of one or more firearms. The active aspect of the definition inherently implies that both law enforcement personnel and citizens have the potential to affect the outcome of the event based upon their responses to the situation. [...] Though limited in scope, this report was undertaken to provide clarity and data of value to federal, state, tribal, and campus law enforcement as well as other first responders, corporations, educators, and the general public as they seek to neutralize threats posed by active shooters and save lives during such incidents."

  United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation

  2018-04
• Active Shooter Incidents in the United States from 2000-2016

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  This resource provides a list of active shooter incidents that took place in the United States between 2000-2016. The methodology used in compiling this list is articulated in A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013 (Blair, J. Pete, and Schweit, Katherine W. [2014]. Texas State University and Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. 2014).

  United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation

  2017-10-03
• Active Shooter/Hostile Event (ASHE) Guide

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  "A second Active Shooter/Hostile Event working summit (Summit II) was held in Charlotte, N.C. from January 11 to January 14, 2016. This second summit was jointly sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Health Affairs and the InterAgency Board (IAB). Over 80 representatives from 14 agencies and organizations worked together to meet Summit II's goal of developing and publishing a set of guidelines for municipalities to use to build their own Active Shooter/Hostile Event (ASHE) plans and procedures or modify existing plans and procedures customized for their requirements and resources. ASHE incidents are characterized by a variety of means, weapons, and tactics used to cause physical injury or death. These incidents present an operational range of hazards, confronting first responders with a wide range of weapons and coordinated small unit tactics, requiring a more complex response strategy that blurs the lines between traditional law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services duties and responsibilities. To meet the goal of Summit II, the agenda was organized into two parts. Part One was to build on what was accomplished in the initial summit by sharing new information through focused presentations on specific topics and exchanging updates from the participating agencies and organizations. Part Two of the Summit was the primary focus of the agenda and where participants collaboratively prepared detailed, implementable standard operating procedures for ASHE that were designed to integrate all first responder disciplines into an ASHE response and to ensure procedures were scalable for municipalities of all sizes and resources. This guide has been built from the input received from Summit II participants and is designed to serve as a template and checklist for preparing ASHE-specific plans and procedures. The guide has also been prepared to follow the logical process of developing and implementing an incident-specific set of procedures beginning with a comprehensive plan and policies formulated by representatives of all responsible agencies and jurisdictions working together. Throughout the document, lists of action-items to be completed by the readers are noted by a checkbox to the left of the statement. The checkbox allows readers to mark each action-item off as it is completed."

  InterAgency Board

  2016-07
• Facilitating the Medical Response into an Active Shooter Hot Zone

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  From the thesis abstract: "The response to active shooter attacks is not as effective as it could be. People die before receiving care because most jurisdictions have a policy in place that stipulates emergency medical services (EMS) wait to enter a scene until law enforcement (LE) announces that the scene is clear or secure. Since this can take some time, life-saving care is not immediately available to the people who most need it, and consequently, there can be a greater loss of life. How can a combined LE and EMS response, based on combat medical care, be effective in saving lives during an active shooter incident? Utilizing 10 historic active shooter cases ranging from the Texas tower shooting in 1966 and concluding with the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012, I analyzed the responses to consider the response times of the responders, time of access to the victims, and transport time to medical facilities. The basis for the responses utilized data collected by the U.S. military from combat injuries sustained from World War II through the current conflicts in the Middle East. From these analyses, I am able to show that fast field intervention based on training, policy, and operational planning with the Incident Command System component, which includes both law enforcement and fire/EMS entry teams, will provide better patient viability prior to hospital care. This will not be a critique of right and wrong, as the responders did what was needed at the time; however, in current-day hindsight, there are points that can be noted for future response growth."

  Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security

  Tierney, Martin T.

  2016-06
• Augmenting Security on Department of Defense Installations to Defeat the Active Shooter Threat

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  "Active shooter attacks appear to occur more in the United States than other countries and some data shows that their rate of occurrence has increased in the past several years. In response, institutions such as the Department of Defense (DoD), other federal agencies, police, and education systems have increased security and adapted response procedures. Despite ongoing efforts, active shooter attacks occurred in Fort Hood, Texas in 2009, the Washington Navy Yard in 2013, and Chattanooga, Tennessee in 2015. Regardless of the level of security, it appears that the proliferation of firearms in combination with radicalization through the Internet have facilitated more individuals to perpetrate active shooter attacks. These attacks also appear to have similar characteristics whether conducted on DoD installations or in other areas. This thesis studies a variety of available military documents, active shooter case studies, and other active shooter defeat strategies to determine if the military could benefit from increased numbers of armed personnel to augment military and civilian law enforcement personnel. The benefit to the DoD includes increased probability of prevention and deterrence of active shooter events, and a more efficient mitigation and defeat mechanism to reduce casualty rates and terminate the event."

  U.S. Army Command and General Staff College

  Stansberry, Leslie M.

  2016-06
• Active Shooter Incidents in the United States in 2014 and 2015

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  From the Introduction: "An analysis of 2014 and 2015 active shooter incidents has identified 20 incidents in each of the years; information provided to advance available research and assist federal, state, local, tribal, and campus law enforcement officers, other first responders, corporate leaders, and educators in their efforts to prevent, prepare for, and respond to active shooter incidents. This annual tally is an increase from 17 in the year 2013, which was the last year of a 14-year study released by the FBI. The FBI defines an active shooter as one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. Implicit in this definition is the shooter's use of firearms when engaging in criminal activity."

  United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation

  Schweit, Katherine W.

  2016
• Bringing Calm to Chaos: A Critical Incident Review of the San Bernardino Public Safety Response to the December 2, 2015, Terrorist Shooting Incident at the Inland Regional Center

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  "On December 2, 2015, at 10:59 a.m. the Inland Regional Center (IRC) in San Bernardino, California, came under attack. The incident began as what is now known to be two shooters, dressed in all black, entered the IRC --a building in which San Bernardino County Environmental Health Department employees were meeting--and began shooting. An intensive and chaotic search for the shooters began initially within the vast IRC complex and then in the city and surrounding areas. During the initial and subsequent witness interviews, law enforcement received differing accounts of the number of individuals--including shooters-- involved in the attack. Quick investigative work by a San Bernardo Police Department (SBPD) civilian analyst and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department (SBCSD) Criminal Intelligence division developed an address for one of the shooters: Rizwan Farook (the male assailant). Before long, officers located the suspect vehicle and two suspects, which led to a midday shootout between the police and Rizwan and his wife Tashfeen Malik (the female assailant), as well as a search for a third subject some officers believed had fled the suspects' vehicle. Ultimately, law enforcement officers killed both assailants on a normally quiet residential street--but not before two officers were wounded. It was later determined that there was not a third suspect. The aftermath of the gun battle was witnessed in real time across the country as news helicopters hovered overhead. Press conferences were held throughout the day and evening as well as for several days following the attack as authorities attempted to quell rising fears and investigators scoured the region, as well as the Internet, in search of clues to determine why the couple had committed such a brutal attack that ultimately left 22 civilians wounded, 14 civilians dead, and 2 officers injured. Two days later, the answer came: a premeditated act of terrorism. San Bernardino had joined the ranks of New York City; Washington, D.C.; Paris; and Brussels as cities that have all dealt with extreme violence at the hands of terrorists."

  United States. Department of Justice. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

  Braziel, Rick; Straub, Frank; Watson, George . . .

  2016
• Planning and Response to an Active Shooter: An Interagency Security Committee Policy and Best Practices Guide

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  "The primary mission of the ISC [Interagency Security Committee] Active Shooter Working Group is to streamline existing ISC documents on active shooter into one cohesive policy and guidance document that agencies housed in Federal facilities can use as a reference to enhance prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts related to an active shooter incident. The goal of the ISC's Active Shooter Working Group is to promote the highest chance of victim and responder survivability through awareness, prevention, education, and training. This guidance is designed to be applicable to all buildings and facilities in the United States occupied by Federal employees. These include existing buildings, new construction, or major modernizations; facilities owned, or being purchased, or leased; stand-alone facilities; Federal campuses; where appropriate, individual facilities on Federal campuses; and special-use facilities."

  United States. Interagency Security Committee

  2015-11
• First Responder Guide for Improving Survivability in Improvised Explosive Device and/or Active Shooter Incidents

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  "Recent improvised explosive device (IED) and active shooter incidents reveal that some traditional practices of first responders need to be realigned and enhanced to improve survivability of victims and the safety of first responders caring for them. This Federal, multi-disciplinary first responder guidance translates evidence-based response strategies from the U.S. military's vast experience in responding to and managing casualties from IED and/or active shooter incidents and from its significant investment in combat casualty care research into the civilian first responder environment. Additionally, civilian best practices and lessons learned from similar incidents, both in the United States and abroad, are incorporated into this guidance. Recommendations developed in this paper fall into three general categories: hemorrhage control, protective equipment (which includes, but is not limited to, ballistic vests, helmets, and eyewear), and response and incident management."

  United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Health Affairs

  2015-06
• Active Shooter Planning and Response in a Healthcare Setting

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  From the Introduction: "'Active shooter' events in a healthcare setting present unique challenges: a potentially large vulnerable patient population, hazardous materials (including infectious disease), locked units, special challenges (such as weapons and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines (these machines contain large magnets which can cause issues with firearms, or remove it from the hands of law enforcement), as well as caregivers who can respond to treat victims. There is no single method to respond to an incident, but prior planning will allow you and your staff to choose the best option during an 'active shooter' situation, with the goal of maximizing lives saved. The best way to save lives is to remove potential targets from the shooter's vicinity. We address some difficult choices that will need to be made in this document."

  United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation

  2015-04
• Incorporating Active Shooter Incident Planning into Health Care Facility Emergency Operations Plans

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  From the Introduction: "Our Nation's health care facilities (HCFs) are entrusted with providing expert medical care in safe and secure environments for patients, staff, and visitors. HCFs include hospitals, health clinics, hospices, long-term care facilities, academic medical centers, group medical care facilities, and physicians' and other health care providers' offices. HCFs are faced with planning for emergencies of all kinds, ranging from active shooters, hostage situations, and other similar security challenges, as well as threats from fires, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and pandemics of infectious diseases. Many of these emergencies occur with little to no warning; therefore, it is critical for HCFs to plan in advance to help ensure the safety, security, and general welfare of all members of the health care community. This document is primarily designed to encourage facilities to consider how to better prepare for an active shooter incident. Though hospitals and many other HCFs have emergency operations plans (EOPs), this document provides emergency planners, disaster committees, executive leadership, and others involved in emergency operations planning with detailed discussions of unique issues faced in an HCF. This document also includes discussions on related topics, including information sharing, psychological first aid (PFA), and law enforcement/security."

  United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency; United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response; United States. Department of Justice . . .

  2014-11
• Security from Within: Independent Review of the Washington Navy Yard Shooting

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  "Our Independent Review of the Washington Navy Yard Shooting has identified structural gaps and weaknesses in Department of Defense (DoD) security programs, policies and procedures. Fixing these flaws is essential to prevent future tragedies, and to ensure that those who died on September 16, 2013 did not perish in vain. The changes we recommend are fundamental and far-reaching, and reflect the need to replace the underlying premise of installation and personnel security. For decades, DoD has framed installation security as a perimeter problem: Defend the perimeter, and installations can keep threats at bay. This paradigm is outdated. Threats to our personnel and classified information increasingly lie within our installations, and come from DoD employees and contractors who are trusted insiders. The Department of Defense needs to strengthen security from within, and reframe its policies and programs to counter insider threats. The current official definition of insider threats focuses on those who use their 'authorized access, wittingly or unwittingly, to do harm to the security of the United States.' The definition goes on to include 'espionage, terrorism, or unauthorized disclosure' as examples. Although acts of workplace violence are not specifically mentioned, we found that many security gaps and weaknesses are common to all such insider challenges. Our report seeks to improve security against the full range of threats within DoD facilities, from severely troubled employees to those who knowingly serve America's adversaries."

  United States. Department of Defense

  2013-11
• Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013

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  "In 2013, the president signed into law the Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012, which granted the attorney general the authority to assist in the investigation of 'violent acts and shootings occurring in a place of public use' and in the investigation of 'mass killings and attempted mass killings at the request of an appropriate law enforcement official of a state or political subdivision.' To provide further clarity on these threats, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2014 initiated a study of 'active shooter' incidents . The goal of the FBI study is to provide federal, state, and local law enforcement with data so they can better understand how to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from these incidents."

  United States. Department of Justice; United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation

  Blair, J. Pete; Schweit, Katherine W.

  2013-09-16
• Defeating the Active Shooter: Applying Facility Upgrades in Order to Mitigate the Effects of Active Shooters in High Occupancy Facilities

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  From the thesis abstract: "The average duration of Active Shooter incidents in Institutions of Higher Education within the United States is 12.5 minutes. In contrast, the average response time of campus and local law enforcement to these incidents is 18 minutes. In the majority of Active Shooter incidents affecting U.S. IHEs [Institution of Higher Education], the emergency response time greatly exceeds the incident duration and affords law enforcement authorities no opportunity to interdict the shooter or prevent further casualties. This stark contrast between response requirements and response capability produces a considerable delta of dead, injured or potential victims and provides the unfortunate motivation for this project. The primary focus of this project is aimed at reducing the Rate of Kill of Active Shooters in U.S. IHEs. This thesis contains 14 case studies that examine lethal Active Shooter incidents that occurred in U.S. IHEs, as well as the Oslo and Utoya Island Active Shooter event that occurred in Norway. Data analysis on each of these incidents revealed facility composition as a critical vulnerability common to all of these incidents. Accordingly, the recommendations included in this thesis suggest a practical implementation of facility upgrades capable of mitigating the deadly effects of Active Shooters."

  Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)

  Ergenbright, Charles E.; Hubbard, Sean K.

  2012-06
• Chemical Facility Security: Best Practices Guide for an Active Shooter Incident

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  "The tragedies at Columbine High School in 1999 and Virginia Tech in 2007 made the phrase 'active shooter' part of the lexicon of organizational safety and security. Active shooter incidents have occurred in shopping malls, schools, government buildings, and a wide range of business facilities, including factories, warehouses, and company offices. Unlike a barricaded suspect, an active shooter is on the move with an unknown destination and is difficult to isolate. In the event of an active shooter incident, chemical facilities have unique and specific considerations that must shape preparedness and response protocols. DHS has worked with its partners and security experts within the Chemical Sector to develop this booklet. The booklet draws upon best practices and findings from participants in active shooter tabletop exercises. It presents key guidance for chemical facility planning and training, and poses specific questions that an effective active shooter response and recovery plan will answer. It is designed to help both chemical facility management and employees prepare and respond by designating roles and needed actions. Employees and management who understand their respective roles during an incident can positively influence response. […] The information included in this booklet is not exhaustive, but meant as an introduction applicable for both regulated and non-regulated facilities. The material does not constitute a regulatory requirement, nor is it intended to conflict, replace, or supersede existing regulatory requirements or create any enforcement standard."

  United States. Department of Homeland Security

  2010
• Study of the Pre-Attack Behaviors of Active Shooters in the United States Between 2000 and 2013: Quick Reference Guide

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  From the Reminders: "[1] There is no one 'profile' of an active shooter. [2] There is no single warning sign, checklist, or algorithm for assessing behaviors that identifies a prospective active shooter. [3] While impossible to predict violent behavior, it is possible to prevent some attacks via effective threat assessment and management strategies."

  United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation