Policeone.com has an exclusive article by Sergeant Jeff Baker of the Omaha Police Department about the Westroads Mall shooting in Omaha. Though written by an officer for other officers, we can learn from this article, too. I'm sure you will want to go over and read the whole piece, but here are a few cogent quotes.
An active shooter, the apex predator. A calm, deliberate and seemingly remorseless gunman with a high-powered military style rifle. Multiple magazines at his disposal, each brimming with ammunition capable of passing through concealable soft body armor. Unlimited places for the murderer to hide and a target rich environment full of civilians in a "gun free zone," a massive shopping mall of about 135 stores at Christmastime.
(emphasis mine) Sgt. Baker doesn't explicitly say so, but this statement leads me to believe he isn't impressed with gun-free zones.
I’m just gonna say it: Responding to this incident proved jarringly scary.
As the supervisor dispatched with district cars when the call was first broadcast, fear crept in that we would not get there in time — this despite a 100-plus mph response on a congested freeway leading to the mall.
Could not get there in time. We do well to remember that policemen respond to threats, they seldom have the opportunity to prevent them. I am not denigrating the police for this. It is simply a fact. Over 200 LEOs were on site. After the shooting was over.There will never be enough policemen to prevent stop incidents like this.
The shooting had been confined to one store, and had been committed by one suspect who was already dead. By the time the day ended some 13 hours after my shift began, I was completely spent, both emotionally and physically. So too were dozens of other involved officers.
Know ahead of time: Responding to an active shooter is unfathomably stressful.
We often talk about what we would do in a live-fire encounter. We seldom talk about the aftermath. Fight or flight is very powerful. Adrenaline is awesome, and so is the inevitable physical crash after the adrenaline rush subsides. The mental effect is also profound. This is not the condition we would want to be in while answering questions from the police after a live-fire incident.
The law officer is cognizant of the increasingly violent realities of the world, and while praying it doesn’t happen in our hometown, we’re sober-minded enough to accept the fact, given sufficient time, it probably will.
Though Louisville is one of the safest metro areas in the country, bad things do happen to good people in supposed safe places. A couple of posts ago, I linked to "The Dangers of Concealed Carry Permits", wherein the gentlemen asked why anyone would want to carry in a K-Mart. He obviously stays in Condition White, an irresponsible and foolish way to face "the increasingly violent realities of the world". Fear should not rule us, but inform us, and that information should prepare us, too. I end with one last quote:
Anxiousness can build with serious momentum during your response to the scene. The physical taxation your body is put under is exacerbated by this psychological reality. Your dedication, training, superior tactics, determination and sworn oath as a law enforcement officer will propel you through the barrier of the human instinct to run from — not toward — the sound of gunfire.
Thus, fear does not have to be the enemy of the police professional. Fear keeps you "on the yellow" and prepared to react with extreme prejudice when the Moment of Truth arrives.
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