In our weekly Library Card Series we highlight a selection from our resource library to help introduce the content to our industry partners.
For this post of our Library Card Series we will be reviewing the FBI’s guide on Active Shooter Resources. This guide provides a background on what an active shooter attack is, operating characteristics of attackers, and how to counter an active shooter situation. The start of the guide opens up on what an active shooter is and how the FBI has provided threat assessment and threat management services to prepare for active shooter threats. The next section of the guide is about the run, hide, fight method of dealing with an active shooter situation. The FBI have a video demonstrating the correct way of using this method which can be viewed here. The final section is about the FBI roles in an active shooter situation. Since the tragic Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, the FBI has taken a bigger role in helping law enforcement and others prepare for active shooter scenarios. Two ways the FBI is assisting in preparing for active shooters is through their Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) program and their operational/victim assistance programs. The FBI links their partners, additional resources, and videos at the bottom of the article.
Small retain businesses are one of the largest targets for active shooter events, which highlights the importance to dispensaries on reviewing active shooter materials and ensuring their employees are adequately trained. In a recent report reviewing 20 years of incidents between 2000-2019, the FBI indicated that of the 333 total incidents, 96 occurred at businesses open to pedestrian traffic, nearly double that of any other category. Of those 96 attacks, 21 occurred in small retail establishments. In March, a employee named Michael Arthur died in an armed robbery on the dispensary he worked at in Oregon called Cured Green. In the article about the robbery by the Willamette Week, cannabis shops in Portland had been robbed, burglarized, and looted 95 times in 10 months (according to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission). While an armed robbery is different from a full-blown active shooter situation, events can escalate quickly, and that is why preparation is key. Developing a plan for active shooter incidents, training employees, and exercises your plan to ensure it holds up in stressful situations is vital.
A few tips for active shooter preparedness:
- Watch the Run, Hide, Fight video
- Train employees on what to do in an active shooter situation
- Read Homeland Security’s article on how to combat active shooters
To find more valuable resources covering a wide variety of topics, visit the resource section of our website, and check back to our blog every Tuesday for our Library Card Series where we highlight different resources from the library.