Reacting Will Get You Killed!

If you react to an active shooter incident, people are going to die!

It's that simple. Reacting results in death. Most people understand that acting is always faster than reacting, but how does that apply to active shooter incidents? Let's take a look . . .

According to a study done by the FBI titled "A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013", of those active shooter incidents in which the duration of the incident could be determined, 69% were over in less than five minutes and 36% were over in two minutes or less. In 60% of cases studied, the event was ended before the police arrived. Too often we hear employers say, “All we need to do is call the police and they will take care of it!”

According to the National Police Beat, the average response time for an emergency call to the police is 10 minutes. The Department of Justice claims the fastest average police response time is four minutes. What this tells us is that if a person places a police call when first observing an active shooter, even if that call is made before the shooter starts firing, the event will most likely be over long before police can react. The police will arrive to a scene of carnage, with dead bodies littering the area. The responders (reactors) will literally be stepping over the bodies of those who have already been slain in order to engage the shooter, who most likely will be dead by his own hand. This is unacceptable!

The FBI study charted 160 active shooter incidents that occurred during the 14-year time period from 2000 through 2013. In the first seven years of that period, there were an average of 6 shootings per year, or one every two months. During the second half of that period, the number rose to 16 shootings a year, or about one every three weeks. Active shooter incidents are on the rise, and each one raises the body count. Is there a better solution?

Officers responding to these shootings suffered casualties 46.7% of the time, with nine officers killed and 28 wounded. In 45 (28%) of the 160 incidents, police engaged in gunfire with the active shooter. In three quarters (75%) of these 45 events, the shooter was either killed by police (35%) or committed suicide (40%). Overall, active shooter incidents during the years of 2000-2013 have resulted in 486 deaths and 557 wounded, many of them seriously. Those figures do not include the deaths and/or injuries of the shooters themselves.

While many may not care about the fact that the shooters themselves died, we need to keep in mind that each of those shooters was once a decent human being who at some point stopped being able to cope and therefore started ascending the Continuum of Aggression to its highest, most tragic levels – the Crisis Stage, where they become so detached that they intend to die carrying out their horrific plans. And what of the damage done to the families of the shooters, who have to live with the guilt and horror forever after? In an active shooter incident, everyone becomes a casualty, including the shooter himself and the society in which the shooting occurs.

The FBI study showed that regardless of whether there was an immediate reaction by those on the scene or a delayed reaction by responders, deaths occurred. There is no way around that tragic fact – in an active shooter situation, reacting means that people are going to die.

What is the alternative? Prevention. If we want to save lives, we need to be able to prevent those who have lost the ability to cope from ascending the Continuum of Aggression and restore them to equilibrium. How can we achieve that worthy goal?

Only one method allows us to do that – the Critical Aggression Prevention System, or CAPS. CAPS allows us to chart the progression of aggressive behavior from its outset (someone who is beginning is losing their ability to cope) through and including the most lethal of all aggressors, the perpetrator of murder/suicide. Each of these progressive observables are precursors to the next stage/level of aggression, offering us the opportunity to prevent the next level of aggression. As an example: the Meter of Emerging Aggression has nine stages/levels of aggressive behavior; if we prevent someone from reaching the 4th Stage/level on the Meter of Emerging Aggression, we need not worry about them reaching the 8th and 9th Stages/Levels where they become a lethal threat. Therefore, CAPS is truly preventative in nature.

CAPS is the new standard for creating a workplace or school that is as safe as humanly possible, the highest form of Evidence-based Best Practices. For more information about how CAPS can help you achieve the goal of having the safest possible work or school environment, the highest form of Evidence-based Best Practices, please contact Ambassador Robert D. Paluch, C.P.S, C.A.M.A., Chicago Area, (773) 587-1464 or [email protected].

Author: Ambassadors Robert D. Paluch is an Honors Graduate of Executive Security International, having earned his Certified Protection Specialist (C.P.S.) certification in 2012. Mr. Paluch has also held a State of Illinois Armed Security Officer license since 1982 and is currently working on earning his Certified Security Specialist (C.S.S.) certification through Executive Security International. He is a Medical First Responder and has an extensive background in clinical nutrition and alternative medicine. He recently earned his certification and is credentialed as a Center for Aggression Management Ambassador (C.A.M.A.), which authorizes him under the agreement to conduct all training for the Center’s Critical Aggression Prevention System (CAPS). His calling is to create safe work and school environments for everyone.