In early January we published links to a video and crib
notes regarding how civilians should respond to an active shooter situation.
You can find a link to that post here.
In general, the best course is to RUN and evacuate the building. If that is not
possible, then the next best choice is to find a good place to HIDE. Finally,
if running or hiding are not options and you are confronted with the shooter,
you need to be prepared to FIGHT. In the parlance of the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) this is known as AVOID, DENY, DEFEND.
As a follow-up to that article, I want to
share with you a unique situation I experienced on Sunday evening.

Along with a host of other volunteers, John and I assumed the
roles of civilians in the mall. Both of us were assigned as “runners”. This
meant that our job was to exit the mall as quickly as possible while the
shooter was still engaging targets and the police were entering the building
and searching for the suspect(s).

The purpose of the exercise was to train APD officers, however,
I learned something too. Though our role was to react realistically with screaming
and panic, we were instructed on how to stay safe without hindering the
officers responding to the scene. These are the four lessons that I want to
share with you.
1)
When evacuating
the scene, keep your hands raised so that in-coming officers will not view you
as a threat. Don’t reach into your pockets, pull out your phone, etc.
2)
Follow all
instructions issued by authorities. If they tell you to lay down on the ground,
don’t ask questions, just do it.
3)
No matter how
scared you are don’t grab at an officer or try to stop him.
4)
Understand that
the responding officer’s first obligation is to disable the shooter(s) not to
attend to the injured. Help will be coming as soon as it is safe.
If you are interested in
learning more about civilian response in such situations, please consider
attending one of the active shooter presentations being offered by the Atlanta
Police Department and the Mayor’s Office of Constituent Services.
Attendees
will learn strategies and plans for surviving an active shooter event. Also
included will be information about the history and prevalence of active shooter
events, the role of law enforcement, civilian response options, and a Q
& A period.
Presentations will take place
from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at the following dates and locations. Please RSVP by
sending an email to Atlantacops@atlantaga.gov two days before the session you would like to attend.
·
February 10, Adamsville Recreation Center, 3201
Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive NW Atlanta 30311
·
February 24 Bessie Branham Recreation Center,
2051 Delano Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30317
·
March 9 Ben Hill Recreation Center, 2405
Fairburn Road SW Atlanta, GA 30331
·
March 16 Peachtree Hills Recreation Center, 308 Peachtree
Hills Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30305
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