When an active shooter begins his attack, it is imperative that the initial police responders immediately pursue and establish contact with the shooter at the earliest opportunity. The sooner the shooter can be contained, captured or neutralized, the fewer the casualties incurred. During the pursuit, police officers will move through unsecured areas, and bypass dead, wounded and panicked citizens while approaching the perpetrator(s). It is important for law enforcement personnel to survive the encounter to end a massacre, rather than become additional victims.
Modern "Immediate Action Rapid Deployment" (IARD) police tactics and protective equipment have been developed that enable first responder patrol officers to rapidly approach armed individuals. Ballistic shield technology has progressed, and officers can deploy lightweight versions of these shields from their patrol vehicles. The "Baker Batshield" was introduced in 2003, and gives trained officers the ability to move swiftly while simultaneously aiming and operating a pistol, submachine gun, or assault rifle. The ability of police officers to apply accurate firepower is important during an active shooter emergency, as rescuing officers are reluctant to use weapons in crowded areas for fear of adding to the casualty count, and have a difficult time getting closer to an active shooter without ballistic protection.
Retired FBI trainer John Wills states, "The street officer faces just as much danger as do SWAT teams. Moreover, the street cop usually never has any time to "gear up" for the encounter. With portable, folding shields, one only needs to pull it out of its case and go".
By the time a shooter decides to go active, there is little time available to save the lives of innocents positioned in the immediate "killing zone", as referenced by author Rick Armellino:
"The October 2nd, 2006 Amish schoolhouse massacre in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, is a textbook example showing how quickly and efficiently killing can commence in the presence of a closely established police containment perimeter."
The need for "Immediate Action Rapid Deployment" (IARD) by police first responders is described in an article published by the Christian Science Monitor dated May 31, 2000:
"Instead of being taught to wait for the SWAT team to arrive, street officers are receiving the training and weaponry to take immediate action during incidents that clearly involve suspects' use of deadly force."
The article further reported that street officers were increasingly being armed with rifles, and issued heavy body armor and ballistic helmets, items traditionally associated with SWAT units. The idea is to train and equip street officers to rapidly respond to these situations, instead of simply setting up a perimeter to prevent the escape of the suspects while awaiting the arrival of SWAT units.
ARE YOU PRO-ACTIVE OR RE-ACTIVE?
DELIA TACTICAL INTERNATIONAL
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
TM
University of Texas at Austin massacre Austin, Texas, United States August 1 1966
SC State killings1 Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States February 8 1968
Kent State shootings1 Kent, Ohio, United States May 4 1970
Jackson State shootings1 Jackson, Mississippi, United States May 14-15 1970
Olean High School shooting1 Olean, New York, United States December 30 1974
California State University, Fullerton massacre Fullerton, California, United States July 12 1976
Cleveland Elementary School shooting San Diego, California, United States January 29 1979
Parkway South Junior High School shooting Manchester, Missouri, United States January 20 1983
Goddard Middle School shooting Goddard, Kansas, United States January 21 1985
Portland Junior High School shooting Portland, Connecticut, United States December 10 1985
Pinellas Park High School shooting Pinellas Park, Florida, United States February 11 1988
Hubbard Woods School shooting Winnetka, Illinois, United States May 20 1988
Cleveland School massacre Stockton, California, United States January 17 1989
University of Iowa shooting Iowa City, Iowa, United States November 1 1991
Lindhurst High School shooting Olivehurst, California, United States May 1 1992
Palo Duro High School shooting Amarillo, Texas, United States September 11 1992
Edward Tilden High School shooting Chicago, Illinois, United States November 20 1992
Simon's Rock College of Bard shooting Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States December 14 1992
East Carter High School shooting Grayson, Kentucky, United States January 18 1993
Amityville High School shooting Amityville, New York, United States February 1 1993
Reseda High School shooting Reseda, California, United States February 22 1993
Wauwatosa West High School shooting Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, United States December 1 1993
Grimsley High School shooting Greensboro, North Carolina, United States October 12 1994
Wickliffe Middle School shooting Wickliffe, Ohio, United States November 7 1994
Blackville-Hilda High School shooting Blackville, South Carolina, United States October 12 1995
Richland High School shooting Lynnville, Tennessee, United States November 15 1995
Frontier Middle School shooting Moses Lake, Washington, United States February 2 1996
Hamilton High School shooting Scottdale, Georgia, United States February 2 1996
Mid-Penninsula High School shooting Menlo Park, California, United States February 8 1996
San Diego State University shooting San Diego, California, United States August 15 1996
Hetzel Union Building shooting State College, Pennsylvania, United States September 17 1996
Bethel Regional High School shooting Bethel, Alaska, United States February 19 1997
Pearl High School shooting Pearl, Mississippi, United States October 1 1997
Heath High School shooting West Paducah, Kentucky, United States December 1 1997
Westside Middle School shooting Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States March 24 1998
Parker Middle School dance shooting1 Edinboro, Pennsylvania, United States April 24 1998
Thurston High School shooting Springfield, Oregon, United States May 20 1998
Columbine High School massacre Littleton, Colorado, United States April 20 1999
Heritage High School shooting Conyers, Georgia, United States May 21 1999
Fort Gibson Middle School shooting Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, United States December 6 1999
Buell Elementary School shooting Mount Morris Township, Michigan, United States February 29 2000
Lake Worth Middle School shooting Lake Worth, Florida, United States May 26 2000
University of Arkansas shooting Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States August 28 2000
Santana High School shooting Santee, California, United States March 5 2001
Granite Hills High School shooting El Cajon, California, United States March 22 2001
Martin Luther King, Jr. High School shooting Manhattan, New York, United States January 15 2002
Appalachian School of Law shooting Grundy, Virginia, United States January 16 2002
John McDonogh High School shooting New Orleans, Louisiana, United States April 14 2003
Red Lion Area Junior High School shootings Red Lion, Pennsylvania, United States April 24 2003
Case Western Reserve University shooting Cleveland, Ohio, United States May 9 2003
Rocori High School shooting Cold Spring, Minnesota, United States September 24 2003
Columbia High School shooting East Greenbush, New York, United States February 9 2004
Fairleigh Dickinson University shooting Florham Park, New Jersey, United States April 4 2004
Red Lake Senior High School massacre Red Lake, Minnesota, United States March 21 2005
Campbell County High School shooting Jacksboro, Tennessee, United States November 8 2005
Pine Middle School shooting Reno, Nevada, United States March 14 2006
Essex Elementary School shooting[11] Essex, Vermont, United States August 24 2006
Platte Canyon High School shooting Bailey, Colorado, United States September 27 2006
Weston High School shooting Cazenovia, Wisconsin, United States September 29 2006
Amish school shooting Nickel Mines, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States October 2 2006
Henry Foss High School shooting Tacoma, Washington, United States January 3 2007
University of Washington shooting Seattle, Washington, United States April 2 2007
Virginia Tech massacre Blacksburg, Virginia, United States April 16 2007
Delaware State University shooting Dover, Delaware, United States September 21 2007
SuccessTech Academy shooting Cleveland, Ohio, United States October 10 2007
Louisiana Technical College shooting Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States February 8 2008
Mitchell High School shooting Memphis, Tennessee, United States February 11 2008
E.O. Green School shooting Oxnard, California, United States February 12 2008
Northern Illinois University massacre DeKalb, Illinois, United States February 14 2008
Davidson High School Shooting Mobile, Alabama, United States March 9 2008
Central High School shooting Knoxville, Tennessee, United States August 21 2008
Henry Ford High School shooting Detroit, Michigan, United States October 16 2008
University of Central Arkansas shooting Conway, Arkansas, United States October 27 2008
Dillard High School shooting Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States November 12 2008
Henry Ford Community College shooting Dearborn, Michigan, United States April 10 2009
Hampton University shooting Hampton, Virginia, United States April 26 2009
Larose-Cut Off Middle School shooting Larose, Louisiana, United States May 18 2009
