Funny story from last Reserve training.

So a few months ago we simulated an active shooter situation in the local high school. In today's time with an active shooter there isn't time to wait for SWAT so the first responders go in. This is another reason patrol carries rifles and shotguns.

Well, that was fun but another story.

This past Thursday we simulated a hostage situation with SWAT going in and us working as perimeter.

Basically you try to hide a good distance away from the building and watch to radio in what you see to command who uses this for negotiations or to give the entry team a heads up.

You also grab anyone leaving the building or area. Sometimes the bad guys pretend to be hostages escaping to get out when they have a change of heart. You have to pat everyone down and detain them all. Usually SWAT will zip tie or hand cuff them before sending them out.

Well, I was in the parking lot with my partner sitting behind a blazer about 50 - 60 yards from the back of the school. Just watching and waiting for someone to come out.

SWAT had been in for about 20 minutes and I was just listening to the radio chatter. At the time I was to the front of the blazer watching the right side of the building from where I was sitting. Looking at the front it would have been the left side. My partner was sitting in the passenger seat of the blazer telling HQ what we saw.

The instructors told us nothing except it was a hostage situation. I didn't expect anyone to really be inside. At the time I hadn't been around front so I didn't see any other cars.

Well, I got tired of laying at the front so got up to creep to the other side to watch the other side of the building. (Remember, we were being observed and had to do everything right before they trusted us to work on a real call.)

0_0

50 kids from the age or 8 - 16 came running from a hallway door to where I was standing. I couldn't believe my eyes. No one told us there was really hostages..

You mean, I have to search all of these people?!?!

I rounded them up and told them all to hit the ground behind the blazer. Gave everyone a waste band pat down with my partner to check for guns real quick.

For about 20 more minutes I had to try to hide 50 or so people behind a Chevrolet Blazer.

Definitely not what I expected.

So future note for anyone here who might be a hostage one day.

Run to different places!!

Sheeple always run in packs in an emergency

i've never understood that. Why? Do you really think that running in a straight line from _whatever_ will help you out. No, it won't...

Remember the five rules of dodging bullets: Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and don't run in a straight line directly away from your attackers...

Sheeple is actually a good description in this situation.

smokinbasser said:

Sheeple always run in packs in an emergency

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We're people dude and some of us have guns.

:tinfoil: funny story indeed

smokinbasser said:

Sheeple always run in packs in an emergency

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My fish do the same thing when they're frightened. My 5 year old nephew sometimes bangs on the glass. :laughing:

Search said:

For about 20 more minutes I had to try to hide 50 or so people behind a Chevrolet Blazer.

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For some reason, that part of the story is funny as Hell!

Perhaps the mentality is, if a person is part of a crowd and a hostage-taker opens fire; their chances of being shot will diminish since the bad guy might decide to aim at someone else.

Monocrom said:

For some reason, that part of the story is funny as Hell!

Perhaps the mentality is, if a person is part of a crowd and a hostage-taker opens fire; their chances of being shot will diminish since the bad guy might decide to aim at someone else.

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Well, there were a few ways that situation could have gone. Them getting shot was one of them.

I do believe when they came out the remaining aggressors were on the other side of the school. So had it been real life and I had a working radio to know that it would have been a little less stressful.

We recently had a new channel programmed into the radios for training and isolated events like football games. Sadly something went wrong and I knew little about what was going on.

Is this what you are training for?
http://www.prisonplanet.com/authorities-prepare-to-seize-kids-during-swine-flu-pandemic.html#

Lightwalker mentioned some of us have guns Yes but most schools and places of employment have bans on possessing guns on their premises. Unfortunately those intent on doing harm know that and choose those places accordingly

smokinbasser said:

Lightwalker mentioned some of us have guns Yes but most schools and places of employment have bans on possessing guns on their premises. Unfortunately those intent on doing harm know that and choose those places accordingly

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Some schools advertise the fact that they are Gun-Free Zones. (Might as well paint a giant target symbol on the side of the school). My high school had an older police officer who patrolled the halls, and yes he was armed. (Let's just say that weapons at that high school were quite common among the students).

Teachers might be strictly forbidden from carrying firearms. But it seems quite likely that more than a handful would rather protect themselves and their students, instead of being cannon fodder for some nut-job.

LightWalker said:

Is this what you are training for?
http://www.prisonplanet.com/authorities-prepare-to-seize-kids-during-swine-flu-pandemic.html#

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lol no

smokinbasser said:

Lightwalker mentioned some of us have guns Yes but most schools and places of employment have bans on possessing guns on their premises. Unfortunately those intent on doing harm know that and choose those places accordingly

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Most school shootings that I'm aware of are from students with various reasons.

People carrying could have changed the outcome, but I don't think most school shootings happened because they are gun free.

Monocrom said:

Some schools advertise the fact that they are Gun-Free Zones. (Might as well paint a giant target symbol on the side of the school). My high school had an older police officer who patrolled the halls, and yes he was armed. (Let's just say that weapons at that high school were quite common among the students).

Teachers might be strictly forbidden from carry firearms. But it seems quite likely that more than a handful would rather protect themselves and their students, instead of being cannon fodder for some nut-job.

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I think one idea I might go for is teachers being allowed to carry concealed under the circumstances that many precautions were taken to ensure students never knew who had them.

This would eliminate irate students from trying to grab a teachers gun.

However, even the first responders can't get there quick enough to save some lives.

I think it's very sad kids have to go through this. If I were a teacher, I would have already given thought to carrying concealed.

To hell with consequences, kids shouldn't have to go through shootings.

Telling people to spread out in that sort of situation doesn't sound like particularly good advice to me.

You as a leo see a pack of 50 people splitting to the high winds in every direction. How do you maintain any sort of security, especially seeing as you just said yourself you need to ensure that none of the "hostages" are indeed shooters. Where do you direct them to go. Say the shooter opens fire...you now have casualties spread all over the place....What's nice about sheeple is the fact that you CAN HERD THEM

2) Given the tendency for people to sheeple, say you as a brilliant individual (in that group) decide to bob and weave...do combat rolls; whatever you've seen in CS. You as a leo...what do you think your response is going to be to that individual...it's going to be not good in a word
I could go on and on....but just like almost all advice given to masses by public officials the purpose isn't necessarily to protect your life but the most lives. Calm and orderly blah blah. I could go on and on...

flasherByNight said:

..What's nice about sheeple is the fact that you CAN HERD THEM

2)...but just like almost all advice given to masses by public officials the purpose isn't necessarily to protect your life but the most lives. Calm and orderly blah blah. I could go on and on...

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you can, if you are a good sheppard, most that think they are, actually only a rebelios sheeps, and do more damage than good.

that is where sheep mentality ends, everyone of those "sheeps" care about their life only, can you blame them????? i can't.

So who's dumb@$$ idea was it to run an exercise with young school children still in the school? That was Pi$$ Poor Prior Planning on someone's part! If that was a SWAT plan they need some serious schooling on practice runs by a professional.

Dan FO said:

So who's dumb@$$ idea was it to run an exercise with young school children still in the school? That was Pi$$ Poor Prior Planning on someone's part! If that was a SWAT plan they need some serious schooling on practice runs by a professional.

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Every weapon was cleared 20+ times and checked by everyone. This was in the middle of a field. No one was allowed to go back to the staging area and everyone was searched extensively.

The people inside put there. The instructors called everyone they could think of and told them to hoard people to the school.

It was an exercise for us. To train us for working perimeter. Everyone knew they were there but us..



Back on topic:

We had 8 - 10 around the back. If the people had run in separate directions, there was plenty of people to hoard them.

It was just difficult trying to complete the exercise correctly under MY teams circumstances. It was a lesson learned for me.

I was twiddling my thumbs crouching on rocks thinking about how I had to ****. Next thing I know I'm bombarded by 50 kids.

It was fun showing all the people what a flash bang does. Those things still shake my core.

We were told the academy in TN uses a flash bang and a 12 gauge with blanks to wake people up the first morning hehe. Well, not funny for me because I'm going to sh*t a brick.

If one 8 year old was trampled to death in the stampede for the door how would they explain it to the parents?

Dan FO said:

If one 8 year old was trampled to death in the stampede for the door how would they explain it to the parents?

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What exactly are you getting at?

It was a training exercise, they weren't running as fast as they could. Most took their shoes off and were complaining about walking on rocks.

Dirty feet was the main culprit of the night.

Dan FO said:

So who's dumb@$$ idea was it to run an exercise with young school children still in the school? That was Pi$$ Poor Prior Planning on someone's part! If that was a SWAT plan they need some serious schooling on practice runs by a professional.

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actually that was a great idea. i,m pretty sure pros did the planning.
it can't get more realistic than that.

alpg88 said:

actually that was a great idea. i,m pretty sure pros did the planning.
it can't get more realistic than that.

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My preferred response would have resulted in my banning.