CTO Active Shooter: To Train or Not To Train
Sidney Lopez
There are many “taboo” subjects when it comes to corrections and its role in the tactical world. Many would say that the role of a tactical team in corrections should be limited to cell extractions, high-risk inmate transports, and riots. In my experience this is usually the thought process of administrators who have been out of the tactical field for years and officers who do not really understand liability and the true role of a tactical operator. I say this not to insult or offend anyone, but this is just the raw essence of what truly is the issue.
I have been in the Law Enforcement/Corrections field for little over 19 years, over 12 in the corrections tactical operations field. In all my years, two things keep coming up, “we don’t have money for that” or “that will never happen here”. Well, I can tell you that is the biggest illusion and one to eventually come back and hurt a department. This brings us to a topic that we have all been dealing with in these few days and is something that by the looks of things will be with us for years to come; the active shooter. With the events in Paris, Orlando and now Lewiston, it is apparent that these types of cowardly acts are here to stay. To think otherwise is irresponsible and foolish.
How This Affects the Corrections Field
Back in 2005 while working as a detention officer for a major sheriff’s office in Phoenix, Arizona, I attended a train the trainer course for first responders held by the Department of Homeland Security. During this training one of the instructors touched on the subject of devices introduced to jails and prison complexes. Being one of two detention officers in the class, this piqued my interest and one of the topics touched on in this course was that jails and prison complexes could be targets of secondary interest. This means what? Well, they make good targets and diversions in order to tie up local law enforcement while the primary target is being engaged.
Now, bringing things back to the present. We have protesters who have made it an art to protest against law enforcement and now radicalized U.S. citizens who are out to make a point to cause as much carnage as possible. It is the responsibility of the corrections professional to ensure that the three “C’s” are maintained; care, custody, and control. This means that the corrections tactical operator is responsible for anything that happens within the confines of the institution to include the immediate grounds leading up to the facility. We can even take this further to the courthouses. In many states, county court houses are run by the court justice department, which falls under the oversight of the corrections department.
Active Shooters in a Corrections
How does active shooter in a correctional setting differ from your conventional active shooter situation? Well, there are several differences, for example, when an active shooter comes into a civilian establishment and starts shooting, we tell people to run, shelter, or fight if they have to. Well, inside a jail when we have a worker who decides that they will go into work and go berserk, we can’t really empty out the jail. Since the officers inside the facility are not armed and don’t have the ability to return fire, this is something of a challenge. This is why after years of research and training on how to resolve this issue we have trained our operators/students to deal with such issues in a very decisive and unconventional manner.
Within the facility you have to be creative and be able to work with what you’re allowed to carry inside the facility. Sometimes this means taking a second look at your department’s policies and SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures), making adjustments, and updates is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. As time moves forward and needs change, so do the tactics needed to meet those challenges. In today’s world, it’s the time of the active shooter and radicalized homegrown terrorist. Law enforcement is actively making adjustments to meet these challenges. Corrections can’t afford to fall behind the curve on this one. Falling behind in training and protocol on this could mean the loss of lives.
Correctional leaders would benefit greatly from ensuring that their teams are properly trained and ready for any situation to include a situation such an active shooter inside an institution. There have been numerous situations where an active threat has entered the premises of an institution. While these incidents rarely get national media attention, they have been well documented by local media. Getting in front of a situation like this is the best and most responsible thing a department can do in order to ensure the safety of all inside the institution to include the civilians in the facility.
Investing in good, quality training is not only responsible but a must to ensure the department is ready and liability is at a minimum. Along with quality training, they also need to have the proper equipment and time to train. Having those three things; good training, time to train, and proper equipment will set the department up for success and ensure the responding team will be able to handle the situation. The responding officers/deputies need to be able to effectively deal with the situation and ensure that they can handle whatever may come their way. An active threat/active shooter situation can happen anywhere, this includes our facilities. The fact that it has happened already, and it has cost the lives of officers, is a testament of how serious we in corrections need to pay attention to this issue. Turning our heads and looking away is not the way to handle this or the responsible thing to do.
Conclusion
In closing, rising up to these challenges is a challenge all unto itself. This is however something that we in the corrections field and especially in the Corrections Tactical Operations field need to really look at and prepare for. Falling back on the old saying “that will never happen here” or “they will never approve that training” should not be an option anymore. I have personally been involved in a once in a lifetime incident where we had an entire jail blow up (Escambia County Jail, Pensacola, Florida)! This was something that if you had told me would happen, I would have probably suggested that you take some time off, but it happened. Where this is not an active shooter situation, it is however a highly dynamic situation where if there had been some sort of emergency preparedness training offered to the staff and tactical staff things could have turned out a bit better. You have to train for the inevitable because it will happen; it is just a matter of time, when and where. Good training, quality equipment, time to train and most importantly the support of the leadership. Give those things to a well-selected Corrections Tactical Team and you can bet that the facility and those within it and around it will be a lot safer for it. Be safe and train hard.
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Sidney Lopez is the Chief Instructor of Tactics & Operations Group-US (T.O.G.-US) LLC. He has over 20 years of experience in Corrections and Corrections Tactical Operations). Through the T.O.G.-US he and his team provide quality tactical training for corrections tactical teams and operators, keeping the single operator in mind.
Sgt. Oghenetega Onoshirie