Active Shooter Events and Response

J. Pete Blair is an associate professor of criminal justice at Texas State University and the director of research for ALERRT. Dr. Blair earned his PhD in criminal justice from Michigan State University and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law enforcement and justice administration from Western Illinois University. His current research is focused on active shooter events and best practices. He has published research on a variety of policing issues in numerous journal articles and book chapters.David Burns has been a deputy sheriff in Texas since 1995 and is one of the founding members of the ALERRT program. He also currently serves as a SWAT team leader, where he has been assigned since 1997. Prior to law enforcement, he served for seven years with the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and is a veteran of the Persian Gulf War.Terry Nichols is the assistant director of the ALERRT Center at Texas State University-San Marcos. He retired from the San Marcos Police Department at the rank of commander in January 2010 after serving over 21 years with the department. His last assignment included commanding the Criminal Investigation Division as well as the Hays County SWAT team, where he served for over ten years. Terry worked numerous assignments for the department over his career, including patrol, narcotics, training, and administration. During his tenure in the Training Division, he led the development and creation of the ALERRT Center in San Marcos. He has a BS degree (1991) and an MS degree (1997) from Southwest Texas State University.John Curnutt has been a police officer in Texas since 1995 and is the director of training for ALERRT. John has been with the training program since the beginning. He is also a SWAT team leader with over 14 years of experience on the team. John’s past assignments with his agency include working as a School Resource Officer (SRO) in the patrol division. Prior to law enforcement, he studied criminal justice at Texas State University-San Marcos after serving in the US Army’s Arctic Light Infantry immediately after high school.

• Historical Perspective of Active Shooter Events. Specialization of the Police. The Turning Point. New Response Protocols. Increased Complexity of Events. The Terrorist Active Shooter Threat. Active Shooter Events in the United States from 2000 to 2010, WITH M. HUNTER MARTAINDALE. Methodology. Results. Preparing for the Event. Primary Goals of the Active Shooter Response. Concept and Principle-Based Training. The Mind-Set of the Modern First Responder. The Law Enforcement Warrior. On-Scene Leadership and the Active Shooter Response. En Route and Actions Outside the Building. En Route. Priorities of Work. Entry and Confronting the Threat. Concepts and Principles of Team Movement inside a Structure. Room Entry. Improvised Explosive Devices. Postengagement Priorities of Work. Security. Immediate Action Plan. Medical. Priorities for Incident Commanders during the "Stop the Dying" Phase of Response. Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events. The Role of Civilians during Active Shooter Events. Disaster Response. Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events. What to Expect When the Police Arrive. Policy. Appendix. Index.

"This important and authoritative book provides a highly useful and well-written overview of significant active shooter events … . Based on the authors’ extensive experience in training and research into active shooter events, the information presented in this book truly is, as they claim, "state-of-the-art, evidence-based best practices."—International Association for Counterterrorism & Security Professionals Reader’s Lounge