>>Since Columbine, I’ve read most if not all PDs have changed their policies to go immediately after school shooters. Broward seems to be an exception.
Not really true. They go in immediately when the whole SWAT team arrives. And a supervisor. And the proper perimeter is established to make sure that the shooter can’t escape. I have a cop in my family and he told me that they aren’t John McClane. They aren’t even the donut cop outside.
It's what I've read here in Colorado where Columbine happened. I suppose you'd have to poll the PDs across the nation to get what their opinions and policies are about school shooters to get a good reading about the subject.
Waiting for SWAT to get there to respond would cost lives.
You couldn’t be more incorrect. Nationwide, the first one or two cops are trained to immediately move towards the shooter and engage him to neutralize and/or fix him in place.
All the perimeters, swat, supervisors, etc you mentioned arrive and respond to where the FIRST cops are and bring a better follow on response. No department anywhere teaches what you said and you cannot back that up as a policy from any department. And yes, department SOPs are public and available nationwide.
There was a shooting at a community college a few years ago in Oregon. Two detectives heard the call and were close by and raced to the school. In the interview the guys were saying how they were praying, and planning. Stop the car, get the vests out of the trunk, put them on, grab their rifles in the trunk, assess the situation, etc.
Well - they pull up and they hear the gunshots from a building. They jump out and race towards the shots with their pistols - the gunman stops shooting and runs into a room and either shoots himself or someone else shot him. (Their was an adult student that retrieved his gun from his car and also went after the gunman - I don’t recall how it ended.)
BUT - the arrival of the detectives, in their suit coats - and racing to engage the shooter is what stopped him. And I believe you are right - they didn’t follow the “plan” that they were probably supposed to wait for backup.
These are local policies. I'm certain (but have no time to look for the article now) that the Sheriff stated when suspending Peterson that policy was to immediately confront the shooter. Which he didn't. If you read the article you'll see that the Coral Springs police, different department and policies, entered the building. Joined by a Sunrise policeman, and two newly arrived Broward deputies. While others sheltered outside. My personal opinion, I think the sheriff lied about policy. The school deputy and the first arriving on the scene sheltered, that doesn't sound like a confront the shooter policy. And these policies aren't formulated to save the victims. Kudus to Coral Springs. I'll also note that as to an escape proof perimeter, Broward failed. Not criticizing the LEO in your family or his departments policies, thought I might disagree in many circumstances. But I think the Broward people are lying through their teeth.
Related, I realize police aren't military, but what happened to initiative. Is their no room for that in many departments policies.
Exactly. In any active crime scene the first job is to secure the perimeter and then wait for proper backup. People are naive to think a cop is going to slap on his bullet proof vest, and enter a scene where there is an active shooter.
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Not really true. They go in immediately when the whole SWAT team arrives. And a supervisor. And the proper perimeter is established to make sure that the shooter can’t escape. I have a cop in my family and he told me that they aren’t John McClane. They aren’t even the donut cop outside.
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Anyone have the timeline? I hadn’t heard\read about SWAT. How long we talking here that Coral Springs was able to get to the scene by the time FOUR from Broward were already ‘in position’?
Something just not jiving in the ol’ noggin...