Do you want to prevent an active shooter event at your workplace?
What anomalous behavior should your employees be looking for?
To understand active shooters, it’s helpful to know the exact definition and goal of active shooters.
Active shooter definition: an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; in most cases, using firearms with no pattern or method to their selection of victims.
Active shooter goal: to kill as many people as possible before they are captured or killed.
Active shooters may exhibit these behaviors and traits:
Violent tendencies: Warning signs include talking about previous violent incidents or having a fascination with violent attacks. Active shooters can also bully, harass, and confront others. The Annapolis shooter had a history of harassment and sent angry letters to the newspaper office he would soon target.
Blaming others: They may have obsessions regarding blaming key individuals, like a boss or co-worker, for their problems. In their mind, nothing is ever their fault.
Involved in conspiracies: They may feel paranoid and focus on plots and conspiracies they believe to be true.
Extremism: They may take interest in and embrace extremist religions, cults, factions, or hate groups. This can include antisemitism and white nationalism. The Tree of Life shooting was based on antisemitism, while the Buffalo supermarket shooting was based on racism.
Making threats: Threats can include “watch your back,” “something bad may happen to you,” or even discussing weapons or weapons they own. The Oxford school shooter posted about their new weapon on social media before the attack.
Exhibiting extreme emotions: When people are under stress, their behavior may change. Economic, personal, and political stressors, as well as mental illness, can affect behavior. Active shooters may seem depressed, extremely hostile, or disconnected. Introverts may become boisterous and aggressive, while extroverts can become withdrawn and remote.
If You See Something, Say Something
If you see signs that aren’t listed here that give you a bad feeling, trust your gut. Report any anomalous behavior to your supervisor, HR department, or security. Reporting the behavior can not only save your life but save those in your workplace and help the offender receive help.
Enroll in Active Shooter Prevention E-Learning
TPOP’s active shooter prevention E-Learning program called “Think & Survive,” can be completed on any internet enabled device, anywhere, anytime. It also takes less than an hour to complete. You can customize the course by adding an introduction from leadership, use your location as the background for the videos, and modify the duration to meet time-on-task requirements.
Let’s discuss active shooter and workplace violence training for your company.