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http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=d26c29ff-f134-4202-bc40-947534a6de3c

Reported by:

Brendan Keefe
Email: Brendan.Keefe@wcpo.com
Last Update: 11/14 1:22 am

There have been so many school shootings over the last 40 years that researchers have been able to develop a profile of the typical mass murderer. They're called “active shooters” or “active killers” and their crimes play out in a matter of minutes.

After the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, police changed their tactics. The two student gunmen killed 15 people and themselves before the SWAT team was in position.

Commanders realized that it simply takes too long to assemble a tactical team in time to stop an active killer. The new tactics developed in response to Columbine involved creating an ad-hoc tactical team using the first four or five patrol officers on the scene. They would enter the shooting scene in a diamond formation with guns pointing in all directions. This technique was employed by police departments around the country.

Then 32 people were killed by a lone gunman at Virginia Tech in April 2007. Seung Hui Cho shot 47 people, 30 fatally, in the university's Norris Hall in just 11 minutes. That means every minute he killed more than three people and shot a total of four. Once again, the gunman continued shooting until a four-officer team made entry and then he killed himself. Law enforcement reviewed its tactics.

Based on the Virginia Tech data, experts determined the first officer on scene should make entry immediately with an aggressive attack on the shooter.Every minute the officer waits for back-up, another three or more people could die. In other words, while it was once considered suicide for a lone officer to take on an active killer, it is now considered statistical homicide for him not to do so.

Tactical Defense Institute in Adams County, Ohio developed one of the first “single officer response” programs in the nation. TDI was teaching the tactic even before Virginia Tech. Now the National School Resource Officer Organization (NSRO) is using TDI instructors to teach school resource officers how to confront a gunman immediately.

Locally, all Blue Ash police officers are trained in these new tactics in large part because their chief, Col. Chris Wallace, is also a TDI instructor.

The other statistic that emerged from a study of active killers is that they almost exclusively seek out “gun free” zones for their attacks.

In most states, concealed handguns are prohibited at schools and on college campuses even for those with permits. Many malls and workplaces also place signs at their entrances prohibiting firearms on the premises.

Now tacticians believe the signs themselves may be an invitation to the active killers. The psychological profile of a mass murderer indicates he is looking to inflict the most casualties as quickly as possible.

Also, the data show most active killers have no intention of surviving the event. They may select schools and shopping malls because of the large number of defenseless victims and the virtual guarantee no on the scene one is armed. As soon as they're confronted by any armed resistance, the shooters typically turn the gun on themselves.

Member Spence sent me the following:

"I was going to reply to
your post regarding changes in police tactics, but can't get the message to post
there. Here's a cut and paste of what I wrote:

The change of tactics
following Columbine was almost unprecedented in the area of law enforcement. The
single officer entry is a modification of the new tactic or generally considered
a subset of the immediate entry team deployment. Naturally, a School Resource
Officer (SRO) would more likely be thrust into the single responder situation
simply by the nature of their assignment. In fact SRO may be one of the first to
learn of the Active Shooter (AS) and would be more aware of their location in
the building and method of attack. In addition, they are familiar with the
layout of the building. It would be safe to assume that if there was an armed
SRO on premises when the event began, he would be obligated to make every effort
to stop the threat, regardless of back-up status.

The multi-officer
response or diamond type formation may be considered a better option if there is
no SRO on scene, the location of the threat is unknown, or if the AS is not
currently firing. Response time in forming the team will also be factored into
the decision on what plan to deploy. Whatever plan is instituted, it will be a
split second decision that will be criticized if wrong or praised if right.

One way or another, the
old plan of locking down the building and waiting for a Tactical Team is
currently not considered an option in an AS scenario. The Tac Team will be
activated anyway in case the event was to morph into a contained threat or
hostage situation.

There’s no doubt I (and
many reading this) would be thrust into the same position as a SRO if an event
occurred in our church. I pray that whatever action I take, it may be as
effective as what Jean Assam did at New Life, or what Greg McKendry, John
Bohstedt and others did in Knoxville, even though they weren’t armed. I have
constantly run scenarios through my head and made suggestions/changes if those
mental scenarios exposed what I thought were security issues. Remember that
planning and training will be the key to a successful resolution to any
situation."