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cthulu2016

(10,960 posts)
Sat Apr 6, 2013, 10:06 PM Apr 2013

Police advise assertive victim response to mass-shootings (NYT)

This is a good thing and has nothing to do with gun control one way or another. No matter how prevalent guns are or how rare they are, how restricted, licensed, banned, etc., it appears to be a modern reality that the old paradigm of finding out what the gun-toting maniac wants is becoming an anachronism.

A hostage taking is quick different from a massacre. Nobody would counsel victims to cooperate in a massacre, or wait for help to arrive. Back in the day when somebody strapped on some guns and took over a classroom he wanted attention. A letter to the mayor or estranged wife would be read and the situation typically resolved with most involved surviving. And if that is the typical dynamic then it is probably right to keep quiet and cooperative.

If, however, the typical incident is expected to be someone who seeks to murder as many as possible and does not expect to be alive five minutes from now then the best victim response is different because it is fast-moving and no-win situation. A change in the dynamics of a no-win situation is usually going to be an improvement... or at least no much worse.

The speed and deadliness of recent high-profile shootings have prompted police departments to recommend fleeing, hiding or fighting in the event of a mass attack, instead of remaining passive and waiting for help.

The shift represents a “sea change,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, which recently held a meeting in Washington to discuss shootings like those in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo.

The traditional advice to the public has been “don’t get involved, call 911,” Mr. Wexler said, adding, “There’s a recognition in these ‘active shooter’ situations that there may be a need for citizens to act in a way that perhaps they haven’t been trained for or equipped to deal with.”

Mr. Wexler and others noted that the change echoes a transformation in police procedures that began after the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, when some departments began telling officers who arrived first on a scene to act immediately rather than waiting for backup. Since then, the approach has become widespread, as a succession of high-profile shootings across the country has made it clear that no city or town is immune and that police agencies must be prepared to take an active approach.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/us/in-a-shift-police-advise-taking-an-active-role-to-counter-mass-attacks.html?pagewanted=all
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