Workplace Violence and Security Planning

2014

Presented by:

• Officer Andrew Risdall, Bloomington Police Department

• Police Officer with Bloomington since 2000• Member of the Bomb Squad since 2006• Currently assigned as the Homeland Security

Coordinator, developing emergency plans with City Departments, Government Agencies, and the Private Sector.

Objectives

• Define the problem– Active Shooter– Violent or criminal actions

• Examine potential solutions– Security and lockdown plans– Planning and implementation

• Review case studies• Examine Law Enforcement response tactics

Active Shooter Incidents

• What does an active shooter look like?

• Where is an active shooter likely to strike?

• How are they armed?• Who is likely to be

targeted?• What can we do about

it?

Washington Naval Yard Shooting

• Aaron Alexis

• 34 Years of age

• Civilian Contractor for U.S. Navy

Washington Naval Yard Shooting

• Alexis purchased a Remington 870 pump-action shotgun and sawed off the stock to make it easier to conceal.

• He disassembled the shotgun to bring it into the building, where he reassembled it in a bathroom.

Washington Naval Yard Shooting

• Alexis enters NAVSEA Building 197 shortly after 8:00 AM on 9/16/2013.

• Alexis begins killing on the fourth floor.

• Alexis kills an armed security guard and takes his 9mm pistol, which he later uses.

• Alexis kills 12 victims before being shot by Police.

Active Shooter

• One or more suspect(s) who, as police respond to the scene, are actively killing and/or causing serious, life-threatening bodily injury to multiple victims. The overriding objective of the suspect(s) appears to be that of mass murder, rather than other criminal conduct such as robbery or hostage-taking.

Active Shooter Mentality

• Active shooters are seeking to kill as many people as they can.

• Most do not stop until they are killed, either by suicide or by a confrontation with Law Enforcement.

Jonesboro, Arkansas

• March 24th, 1998• Andrew Golden – Age 11• Mitchell Johnson – Age 13• Golden entered Westside

Middle School and pulled the fire alarm.

• He then joined Johnson outside and began killing students and staff as they evacuated.

• 5 killed, 10 wounded

Columbine High School, Colorado

• April 20th, 1999• Eric Harris and Dylan

Kliebold use firearms and explosive devices in a coordinated attack against Columbine High School

• 13 killed, 21 injured

Columbine: The Plan

• Kliebold and Harris built nearly 100 explosive devices.

• Their plan was to set off a large explosive device in the lunchroom, killing as many possible.

• Kliebold and Harris had large explosive devices in their vehicles, which they planned to use to kill students evacuating from the building.

A "suicidal attack [which was] planned as a grand – if badly implemented – terrorist bombing.“ – USA Today

Columbine Details

• Harris maintained a private website in which he described his guns, the explosive devices he made, and a “hit list.”

• Other students were made aware of the list and it came to the attention of Law Enforcement. A search warrant was obtained, but never served.

• A school resource officer responded from the parking lot and engaged Harris at an entrance from 60 yards away. Neither was injured in the exchange.

• Responding officers surrounded the building.

Red Lake, MN

• March 21st, 2005• Jeffrey Weise arrives at

the school at 2:45 pm and begins killing.

• Jeffrey Weise kills seven at the school, before being wounded by responding Police at 2:52 PM and committing suicide.

Norway, 2011

• Large vehicle bomb in Oslo kills 8, wounds over 200.

• Shooting attack on island kills 69, wounds 110

• Killing continued for over an hour

• Police had no effective means of reaching the island

What is the “profile?”

• Columbine, Virginia Tech, and other school shootings have creating a stereotype of the active shooter and their motivations.

There is no “profile”

It can happen here

• Accent Signage Systems

• Minneapolis

• 2012

• Engeldinger kills six after being terminated from employment

Failure to plan is planning to fail

What can we do?

Citizens• Stop an incident before the

implementation stage, by reporting suspicious behavior.

• Develop an emergency action plan for your school, church or business.

• Train everyone on the plan.• Practice with training drills.

Law Enforcement• Prevent an incident by

responding to reports of suspicious behavior.

• Develop a plan to respond to an incident.

• Train the community.• Practice response plans.

Five Stages of an Active Shooter

• Fantasy Stage• Planning Stage• Preparation Stage• Approach Stage• Implementation Stage

Intervention

• Fantasy – the killer(s) may be expressing their fantasies – verbal, online, etc.

• Planning – the killer(s) develops a plan – surveillance

• Preparation – the killer(s) begin acquiring supplies – weapons, ammunition, explosives

• Approach – the killer approaches the target – suspicious vehicle, suspicious person

Implementation - Survival Strategies

• The goal for citizens and Law Enforcement in an active shooter situation is to mitigate the number of casualties.

• Law Enforcement has implemented a Rapid Deployment strategy to minimize the time it takes to end an incident.

• Lockdowns have been established as the best solution for most schools and businesses.

• Some still advocate evacuation – for everything.

Lockdown

• A lockdown consists of following a pre-planned series of actions in the event of an act of violence.

• A notification is made immediately, by anyone, when deemed necessary.

• Staff, students, and visitors seek shelter in rooms that can be secured.

• Doors are locked, lights are turned off, view into room is blocked. Occupants get “quiet and small.”

Implementation

• Determine secure locations, that prevent people from having to travel significant distances to seek shelter.

• Make classrooms, offices, and meeting rooms suitable for a lockdown. This means anyone can lock the door, without keys. There should be no, or limited visibility into the room.

• Be creative. If major design changes are not feasible, consider blinds, barricades, etc.

Lockdown to death?

• The point of a security plan is not to find a lockdown area at all costs.

• You need to get there quickly and safely for it to be effective.

• If you develop a flow chart, it is too complicated

Overall Security Plan

• How is access to your workplace controlled?– Who has access, and how (keys, fobs, security)?– How does the public enter?– Are visitors controlled?

• What do we gain by controlling access?– Prevent theft, trespassing, harassment, and other

“minor issues”– Deter and delay the active shooter

Implementation, cont.

• Notification– PA– Phones, pagers, signals– How will you clear?

• Planning– When will you

lockdown?– Where will you go?– How will you train?

What circumstances should trigger a lockdown?

Bloomington Schools• When directed to by BPD• Active shooter• Unknown intruder who

circumvents a sign in system• Bomb threat of serious nature• Restraining Order/OFP

violations• External issues

Mall of America• When directed to by BPD• Active shooter• Mass casualty terrorism event• Explosion• Dangerous fugitive• Other situations where

extraordinary measures need to be taken to ensure safety

Is it perfect?

• A lockdown is not a “silver bullet.”• A lockdown will certainly not prevent an

incident from happening, and will not save everyone if it does.

• A lockdown is a time delay tactic used to allow Law Enforcement to respond and eliminate the threat.

Would a lockdown work?

• Analysis of Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech Timeline

– Cho kills two at a dormitory (2).– Cho enters classroom 206, kills professor and 9

students (10).– Cho crosses the hallway to 207, kills professor and

4 students(5).– One student is shot in a hallway (1).

– Cho killed 32 victims. Two at the dorm, and 30 at Norris Hall. Those in 206 would not have been saved by a lockdown plan. 207?

Virginia Tech

• In room 204, the professor held the doors closed while most students escaped through a window. The professor was killed after being shot through the door while forcibly securing it. One student was killed inside room 204 (2).

• In Room 211 an instructor and a student are killed while trying to barricade the door. Cho then enters and kills 10 more students (11).

Virginia Tech

• Room 205 – an instructor saw Cho coming and barricaded the door with a large desk. Cho fired through door but did not injure anyone inside.

• A professor took 20 students from a classroom to a nearby office where the door could be locked and secured them inside. They survived. The professor went to “investigate” and was killed by Cho in the hallway (1).

VA Tech Summary

• The Virginia Tech shooting would have been a tragic loss of life, whether a lockdown plan was in place or not.

• If, however, the doors were able to be quickly secured by staff or students, 14 to 20 of those killed may have been saved.

• Faculty and students were killed holding doors closed, and trying to barricade them.

Run. Hide. Fight

Their logic:

• One size fits all• “Plan” can be rolled out

to everyone, without any specific site assessment

• Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Our Logic:• Evacuation is a good option, if

you know you can accomplish it quickly and safety

• Evacuation forces you into choke points – stairwells and common doorways.

• You may have no idea how many shooters there are, or where they are.

• Do you want to go find them so you know where to “run” to?

• In VA Tech, the doors were chained shut to prevent people from exiting.

• In Columbine, explosive devices were planted in hallways and the parking lot.

• In Jonesboro, evacuation was used to bring students out to where they were killed

• Children? Infants? Disabilities?

What approach is best for you?

• What is your threat level?

• How is your overall security?

• Where can you go, how safe is it, and how quickly can you get there?

A Plan:

• If the point of being prepared is to have a plan, HAVE A PLAN.

• Watching a five minute video is not preparing.

• Assessing your space and determining the best option is preparing.

• Where are the victims in this photo?

Fight?

• As a last resort, you should be prepared to defend yourself.

• If you are trapped, you cannot escape and your location is being compromised by an assailant, prepare yourself to attack them when necessary.

Law Enforcement Response

• Every police car has a patrol rifle, and every officer is trained to use it.

• Every available officer responds.

• Entry is made immediately, with the focus of eliminating the threat.

What you should know

• Police officers may be in civilian clothes and will probably be armed with rifles.

• Police will consider everyone a suspect until the situation is under control.

• Police will not be performing rescue functions until the shooter is killed.

Questions?

• Andy Risdall• Homeland Security Coordinator, Bloomington

Police• 952-563-8622• arisdall@ci.bloomington.mn.us