Active Shooter Best Practices: A Case Study of Connecticut Police Departments

Abstract

Purpose: This qualitative study explored the best training practices and strategies police departments can adopt to educate and assist communities in active shooter preparation. Theoretical Framework: This study utilized the attribution theory to provide insight into how police departments can offer the community free and best training practices and strategies on Run, Hide, and Fight (RHF) techniques. According to Weiner (1974), attribution theory explains how individuals interpret events and how individual perception or interpretation relates to one’s behavior and reasoning. Methodology: This study was based on the qualitative model, in which purposeful sampling was used to locate the trainers in the study’s sample. An email was sent to one active shooter instructor from each of the 80 represented agencies in Connecticut. Upon receiving email replies, 38 participants signed the informed consent and scheduled a Zoom interview because of COVID-19 protocols put in place by the government. This represented a response rate of 47.5%. The participants were requested to complete demographic information and seven open-ended questions. Findings: The data indicate that immediate deployment is the primary practice utilized to respond to an active shooter incident. Reality-based training and force-on-force exercises are the key training strategies that every active shooter trainer in every department should use to train officers because they give a real-life experience, thus enhancing officers’ skills in responding to an active shooter incident. In addition, shifting the training venue location, assigning more training time and scenarios, and integrating more role players will enhance efficient and effective active shooting responses. Conclusions and Recommendations. An integrated response should be put together between police departments and other agencies, such as the fire department, to train its line personnel to save lives. Additionally, local communities should be incorporated into these training courses to help ensure that all parties share a common vocabulary and approach during a crisis. Furthermore, policy documents should be developed and implemented to ensure the active shooter techniques of RHF explain how and when each technique is applied and is clearly expounded.