Edward Spyros

Training Police Officers: Responding Effectively to the Active School Shooter Edward Spyros

School shootings are not a new phenomenon in the United States. Since the first school shooting in 1966 at the University of Texas, close to 50 school shootings have occurred with over 175 deaths reported. Police have traditionally responded to these incidents by securing the school's perimeter and waiting for the arrival of specialized units to take control of the incident and resolve it. Since the attack at Columbine High School in 1999, some police departments have changed their response plans. The terms Active Shooter and Immediate Action Rapid Deployment (IARD) are new language for law enforcement. During an active school shooting, some police agencies now train their officers to make an immediate entry into the school and neutralize the perpetrator. While school shootings are one of the top social concerns facing society today, not all law enforcement agencies train their officers in IARD. As no community is exempt from a school shooting, all law enforcement officers should receive the specialized training to appropriately handle and resolve these critical incidents.