UNDERSTANDING THE STATISTICS • 98% of active shooters act alone
The majority of active shooter incidents last
3-5 minutes whereas the average response
time for law enforcement is approximately
7-10 minutes. That discrepancy means the
individuals present during the occurrence
may need to bear the responsibility of
ensuring the safety of themselves and those
around them until first responders arrive. • 80% of shooters had more than one
weapon to inflict maximum harm
No one wants to learn these lessons the hard
way and as such company leadership should
always be proactive to reduce risk in the
workplace. By providing the necessary active
shooter mitigation resources, employees
become empowered with the knowledge and
tools needed to make informed decisions in
a potentially hazardous situation.
The most critical aspect of any active
shooter training is that it should be based
on objective fact-based information so
people are not instilled with fear, but
rather knowledge. Knowledge increases
confidence, with confidence comes
decisiveness, and decisive action is what
saves lives.
Despite the unpredictable nature of
violent encounters and a lack of a clear-
cut blueprint on who or where such
situations take place, several key traits and
characteristics can help indicate where and
how an active shooter event may occur:
• Over half (54%) of active shooter
incidents occur in either areas of
commerce or educational institutions
• 97% of active shooters are males
104 ILHA
• 95% of active threat incidents occur
during daytime hours when more people
are present
It is worth noting the above statistics by
themselves are by no means concrete
evidence an active shooter event will take
place; a lone male on a school campus
during the day does not necessarily mean he
will do anything bad.
RECOGNIZE THE WARNING SIGNS
These statistics, however, may support
any concerns when taken into context and
coupled with additional peculiar factors
that warrant action. The ubiquitous “See
Something, Say Something” slogan seen
in post-9/11 travel is generally the go-to
mantra for proactively addressing suspicious
behavior. Of course, a key problem lies within
the otherwise sound motto: what should one
be looking for and to whom should they say
something?
The Clackamas Town Center Mall shooting
in 2012 is an example of “See Something,
Say Something” warnings and indicators
that seem apparent in hindsight but were
overlooked at the time. The shooter in this
instance wore a hockey mask and was loading
his rifle in the parking lot as shoppers passed
him by. In interviews following the shooting,
these individuals said they thought the
assailant was wearing a paintball mask and
had a toy gun.