Parental Intervention During a School Shooting Incident

 

https://www.newsweek.com/uvalde-officials-deny-claim-that-officers-rushed-rescue-their-own-kids-1711017

                According to the above captioned report from Newsweek.com, a number of parents and police officers entered a school building or buildings in Uvalde to remove their own children. There are reports that parents had to be physically restrained from entering these buildings. I have seen many comments on social media that applaud the efforts of parents who took matters into their own hands, particularly in the cited article.

                Stop. Just Stop.

                The most dangerous thing ANYONE can do in these situations is enter a danger zone unprepared for what they might find. In my last column I outlined what the first officer on the scene is faced with. Now I am going to try to demonstrate what would happen if anyone would attempt to intervene. I will place a civilian in the shoes of the first responding officer to do so. Please refer to part five of this series “One Officer”.

                I must stress that the hypothetical scenario I’m about to describe has little to do directly with the circumstances in Uvalde as it could happen in any similar emergency. Emotions in an emergency will run high, and when in fear people stop acting with reason.

                The scene is set like this. The police are on site outside. The building appears to observers as it does on any school day when the children and staff are inside and in class. In short, nothing appears to be going and yet everyone knows there’s someone inside with a gun threatening to shoot their child.

                A parent, afraid and incensed by what they determine is a lack of action decides, as many seem to have wanted to in Uvalde, to take matters into their own hands. Using whatever means were necessary, a single parent is successful and is now inside the school.

    The parent does not have the benefit of:

• Training: The parent has no experience whatsoever in dealing with a gunman who more than likely has a plan. 
  

• Communication: There is no way for this parent to know how the situation is evolving, where the shooter might be, and the danger they are in. Their only thought is getting to their own child (ren) and getting them out. 
• Assistance: No one knows this individual is inside the school and even if they did, where they are. If a group has managed to do this, they lack the coordination such a team would need because each is emotionally focused on their own child. 
• Defense: In most cases, this parent is going to be unarmed. Being armed adds yet another dimension to the danger but we will address that shortly.

What this parent DOES have is an overwhelming emotional response controlling their judgment. I have already made clear that this will hinder anyone attempting to intervene. Every time.

 The parent is not using stealth; they are moving through the halls at an almost frantic pace. They may not even know where their children are at a particular moment. They may or may not hear gunfire, which will inspire even more fear and spur them on to even greater haste.

And now they are confronted by the gunman. Here’s what can happen next:

·         The gunman is challenged, threatened, and shoots the parent. If the parent is armed, I refer back to the scenario of a “good guy with a gun” and the extremely unlikely outcome that the parent will surprise and subdue the gunman.

·         In a similarly unlikely event, if the gunman does not immediately shoot, he will also not suspend his plan and go quietly. He may decide to bargain in the interest of taking the parent as a hostage, or to regain control and kill them.

·         He may engage the parent verbally or with threatening action and provoke the parent into shooting first. It should be noted that most people who believe they could take a life will, at best, hesitate. If they are successful, they will suffer an emotional impact later.

Now let’s remove the parent, and put a police officer in their place:

• This police officer is NOT in his most professional mindset. A professional police officer acting within his duty does not go “rogue” and attempt independent interdiction. 
• The officer may or may not have the training and benefit of communication with command. He may not even be on duty.
• The officer may not have the benefit of assistance if he needs it. If he is part of a group, he may take command and lead, but to where? The conditions of not knowing where anyone might be, including the gunman, are still very real. 
• He will be armed. That much is certain by law.

A police officer stands a better chance of confronting and successfully subduing the gunman should he be fortunate not to be found first. However, the mental state of the officer may prevent him from recognizing his duty to take the gunman into custody. What to do when emotionally compromised is a situation officers are and should be trained to identify and accept. As so compromised, an officer must recuse himself from the scenario if at all possible. An officer in such an emotional condition is a threat to the safety of the entire team, students as well as staff. The coordinated effort to end the incident without loss of life will also be compromised.

We have one more set of circumstances to consider: The perceptions of the general public during these scenarios.

First and foremost, parents and concerned citizens have no business in the immediate area of this type of event. For the very reasons I have outlined, their presence is an unnecessary distraction to everyone from the incident commander on down regardless if they try to intervene or not. Can it be argued that they have a right to be there? Not exactly. Their rights depend on the definition of “there”. Here’s what they do have:

• They have a right to be informed of the situation.
• They have a right to be as assured as possible that everything that can be done is being done to control and end the scenario. 
• They have a right to know that every effort is being made to provide the safe return of their children.
•  They have a right to know if their children have been injured, and information on where they have been taken for treatment. 
• They have an obligation to respond to that treatment center to assist in the care of their child,
• And most important, they have a right to be confident that all of this is or will be happening.

The accounts from Uvalde vary, but I know based on verified reports that members of the general public were on site, allowed or otherwise. They were not confident in the assurances as I have stated them even if they were offered.  When they protested, officers resorted to force in some cases to restrain parents, instead of de-escalating the scene with information. In Uvalde, it does not appear information was even available.

The following is an excerpt from the “Emergency Response Education” training document “Essentials for a Lockdown Drill.”

Parental involvement-

Parents should have an understanding that their participation (in a training program and an actual emergency, as specified elsewhere in the document) is not only necessary, but also plays a vital role in the safety of their children and all others involved.

 

• Parents need the assurance in advance that their concerns and fears in these situations are taken into account. 
• A pre-determined “safe area” well away from the school affected should be made and all parents and members of the press notified to report to that location:

1. This area should be determined prior as part of an emergency plan and secured by police immediately.

2. This should not be another school unless no other area is available or suitable.

3. Open athletic fields are subject to weather and as they may not always be suitable, they should never be designated without a secondary location.

4. The selected area should be large and accessible enough to accommodate and be limited to 1 parent or guardian per child.

• A representative of the school district should be on hand at the designated safe zone immediately to organize and coordinate assisting parents and guardians. The representative must continually brief parents as well as the press as to the extent of the emergency. 
• In the event that students are evacuated from their school and subsequently dismissed early, parents will remain at the safe area. Transportation of students to that area only should be provided by the district. 
• Student accountability will be maintained until students are released. 
• Response by parents should be limited to ONE representative per student. Others can receive updates via text or email from the district itself, and this one source be relied on for information as opposed to hearsay. 
• Under NO circumstances should parents respond directly to the affected school, or attempt to reach their children via telephone, text, or in person. 
• Again, ABSOLUTELY under no circumstances should parents inject themselves into a scenario, practice, or real emergency. Further, every action should be taken to prevent parents and civilians from entering a danger zone. This is a highly emotional situation and parents should be told in advance that there is nothing they can do on scene except get in the way and hinder rescue and enforcement operations.

I cannot stress enough the importance of limiting danger zones involving a gunman to trained professionals. In Uvalde, a situation already strained by circumstances was complicated by the necessity of dealing with individuals who did not belong there. Parents must realize that the safety of their own children cannot jeopardize the safety of others. It is only through involvement of parents in organized and stress limited education that this will be possible.

I understand what this policy is asking of loving and caring parents, as I am one as well. Nevertheless, all of this must become practice.

 

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