Active Assailant Response

Active Assailant Definition

• According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an active assailant is someone killing or attempting to kill people in a confined, populated area
• Active shooters usually use firearms
• There is generally no pattern or method to how active shooters select their victims

Past Events and Policies

• The Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999, in Littleton, Colorado was a watershed moment for law enforcement
• Law enforcement's initial response to Columbine was to set up a perimeter to contain the event
• Specialized tactical teams such as SWAT would arrive to neutralize the problem once the incident was contained
• After Columbine, weaknesses were identified in tactical training and critical incident protocol
• Law enforcement professionals must be trained as first responders to quickly end active shooter incidents
• A primary issue identified was the need to empower on-scene first responders to act immediately to save lives

Active Assailant Characteristics

• There is no universal set of criteria that defines all active assailants
• Most active assailants share certain characteristics
• Active assailants are likely to engage more than one target and may target specific individuals or randomly chosen people
• Active shooters often target locations with high concentrations of people
• An active assailant's intention is usually an expression of hatred or rage, not financial gain
• Police tactics of containment and negotiation may not be adequate responses
• Active assailants often have detailed plans and are better armed than the police
• They typically have some familiarity with the chosen location
• Active assailants are often, but not always, suicidal and do not prioritize escape
• Most active shooters do not attempt to hide their identity
• Active assailants sometimes choose a location for tactical advantage

Active Assailants Compared to Barricaded Subjects

• An active assailant is not the same as a barricaded subject
• An active assailant is actively engaged in taking human life unlike a barricaded subject
• The same person could become a barricaded subject by securing themselves in a room or facility, with or without hostages
• Active assailants actively kill victims, regardless of motivation, ideology, or means
• Barricaded subjects secure themselves in a location, disallowing access to law enforcement/first responders, and may or may not have hostages
• An active assailant can quickly become a barricaded subject, and vice versa
• Responses differ: active assailant responses require quick, direct action, while barricaded subjects are handled with departmental policy, tactical teams, negotiators, etc.

Tactical Considerations for Off Duty and Plain Clothes Officers

• Active assailant events incite a mass police response with officers who may not know each other
• Officers in plain clothes or off duty add another layer of complexity
• Plainclothes officers must have a plan to identify themselves to responding officers to avoid being perceived as a threat
• When confronted by responding officers, plainclothes officers should drop their firearm, limit movements, and ensure hands are visible
• Verbally and repeatedly identify as a police officer and comply with all commands
• Inform officers of what you know about the suspect and where your police identification is, but don't retrieve it unless instructed
• Don't assume they know, should know, or will believe you
• Compensate for deficiencies by evaluating equipment and implementing a formulated plan
• Being able to identify yourself in plainclothes is paramount to prevent tragedy

Primary Objective to an Active Assailant Response

• The primary objective is to stop the threat and prevent additional casualties
• Law enforcement must use sound tactics due to the high risk
• The preferred, most rapid means to stop an active assailant is through lethal force
• Other methods include self-termination, containment/confinement, lack of victims/targets, transition to a barricaded suspect scenario, or surrender

Tactical Considerations Concerning Active Assailant Deployment

• Tactics and techniques vary depending on factors like locale, policy, resources, and syllabi
• Agencies are encouraged to train with other law enforcement agencies that may assist in an active assailant incident
• Officers should respond only as fast as is safely possible to get to the threat
• Speed is paramount, but officers should not run to their death
• Depending on the circumstances, sprinting or using slow, methodical movements may be appropriate

Information/Intelligence

• Responding officers should gather information about the incident such as credibility, timeframe, and available intelligence about the scene
• Information on the responding officers, skills and equipment should also be gathered

Response Plan

• Based on available information and resources, a plan must be developed and executed

Individual Skills and Equipment

• Individual officers' capabilities like patrol-oriented tactics, marksmanship, building search/clearing, physical fitness, and direct action skills are paramount
• Equipment should be kept minimalistic
• Officers will use what they have on them
• Go-bags, breaching tools, and improved weapons platforms are desirable but not always practical
• Tactics are based on doing without, but superior methods should be used if available
• A clear method of verbal & non-verbal de-confliction is vital

Officer/Team Skills

• Acknowledging that a team increases chances of success
• Law enforcement aims to have as many guns in the fight as possible.
• Once officers pressurize an area, they can link up or separate to search

Strategy and Tactics

• Strategy and tactics involve interior/exterior movement, triage, and actions on the target

Mission/Objective

• The goal is to rapidly eliminate active threats to save lives, facilitate medical treatment for casualties, and ensure site security and clearing

Priority of Life

• In all law enforcement actions, the lives of innocent civilians are most precious
• EMS responders will triage and treat the most seriously injured

Speed, Surprise, and Immediacy of Action

• Essential for confronting armed adversaries
• Achieving these elements improves chances of success

Pressure Method

• Initial officers should flood the area to create pressure on the interior, using multiple breach points
• Cordoning off the area increases pressure from the outside
• Applying pressure can cause the assailant to cease their attack, self-terminate, or flee
• The goal is to create as much pressure as possible to quickly end the attack

The Sounds of Violence

• When searching for the killer, listen for sounds of violence, such as screaming, gunfire, and explosions to determine where events are unfolding

Limitations to the Sounds of Violence

• Sounds can be difficult to hear or locate the origin of in large buildings because they echo
• Search as quickly and safely as possible and look for indicators

See Whole People

• Do not fixate on hands holding weapons
• See “whole people” and consider what is in their hands

Other Factors to Consider

• Officers responding to an active assailant call must consider other tactical considerations
• Type of structure/scene such as indoors or outdoors and facility type: secured vs unsecured
• Who/what is in that facility: children, mass numbers of people
• Dangerous materials and possible avenues of approach
• Equipment and resources available such as hardware, weapons, armor and assaulter kits
• The identity and location of responding entities
• Communication via radio channels, its limitations, link-up and de-confliction
• Solo or team entry to location: the different risks and benefits
• Whether universal tactics are employed/if multiple agencies in the area, is their training complementary?
• Means of entry, location of the active assailant & booby traps

Types of Response

• The most rapid response is likely from a solo officer operating without immediate backup which will result in the most lives saved
• Clearing a building alone is unsafe and nearly impossible, however, getting to the assailants as fast as possible is most important
• Do not confuse initial responses with building searches
• This method is very dangerous
• A team response provides strength in numbers and increases the odds of success
• This can occur due to simultaneous arrival or individual linking up

Team Movement Tactics

• Bounding Overwatch ensures officer safety by using cover and concealment while approaching a target
• The entire unit moves in a continuous series of short burst
• Only one officer (or element/small group) will move at a time from one position of cover to the next
• Room entry tactics/techniques should account for quick solo officers and small team entry
• Entry techniques should account for rapidity of movement
• Tactics/techniques should reflect the balance of speed and safety
• A sphere of security & awareness should be maintained at every level
• Entry officers/teams must have a tactically sound means of negotiating stairwells

Building Clearing and Site Security

• Once the active assailant is located and/or neutralized, responding officers must switch to building clearing and site security
• Neutralization does not always mean officers have contacted and engaged them
• The assailant will likely self-terminate or be engaged by other groups, whether private security or civilians
• Other teams or individual officers will start systematically moving through the structure in a slow search
• The emphasis once the active killing has been neutralized is to check for other potential threats
• Potential threats include other assailants, booby traps, and/or secondary devices

Providing Medical Attention

• Resources should allocate efforts to triage and provide medical aide to victims and casualties
• Regional emergency medical protocol and resources will dictate medical response

Officer Rescue

• If law enforcement suffers casualties, means to help them must be established because responding law enforcement should have proper equipment and knowledge to self-aid
• Medical attention is the sole responsibility of the wounded officer
• There must be means to rescue downed officers who are potentially under fire or in an unsecured zone
• Casualty numbers/status, type of medical aide available, location of the casualty and any potential threat, and finally all available personnel/equipment, and how officers will be reached/evacuated(foot/vehicle) should be taken into consideration