Stopping Active Shooters (mass murders that is)

[Buka]

Do any first responders have this obligation?

I've found there are differences in various departments, states, counties etc. It seems things have changed or morphed over the years. That being said, the way I came up, we were taught we are Peace Officers and that one of our main duties was to keep the peace. We took an oath, that we took seriously, to serve and protect, to help people.

I always felt I had an obligation to the public, to all of them, even the A-holes I ran into on a daily basis. (out here ninety five percent of them are from the same place. Sure as hell wouldn't want to be a cop there)

We were taught that we run in when everyone else runs out. Might be a romantic notion, but it's one I've gladly adopted.

 

[Steve]

I was curious, so I looked it up. Homicide rate in Seattle over the last 20 years has been on a generally downward trend.

Seattle WA Murder/Homicide Rate 1999-2018

Interactive chart of the Seattle, Washington murder rate (i.e. the number of homicides per 100,000 population) from 1999 to 2018.

www.macrotrends.net

Violent crime and assault are pretty much where they were 20 years ago.

Actually, he's not wrong. Crime in general, and violent crime in particular, is on the rise here. Feels worse now than it has been since the 80s. I remember when the gangs were all over White Center, Rainier Beach, and the Central District in Seattle... dudes were getting shot at the bus stop for a while, and they were chaining up our school doors at Garfield. Downtown is more dangerous now than it has been in a while, though most folks who live in the fancy condos don't recall how seedy it used to be.

The difference now (I think) is that we have such a disparity between wealth and poverty, and very little in between. You'll literally see a tent set up next to a Tesla, and the pandemic sure didn't help things. The cost of living is so high that most folks can't afford to live in the city at all. It's a complicated situation.

But overall crime was up by 10% in 2021 over 2020, and violent crime was up by 20%, at a 14 year high. While we did end up with fewer homicides and rapes, there were significantly more robberies and aggravated assaults.

Gun related incidents are way up. "Shootings and shots fired" were up by 40% in 2021 over 2020, at a ten year high, and since 2012 the number of gun shots fired and shootings has doubled (increased by 100%). "Shots fired" refers to a non-injury, firearm related incident. "Shootings" resulted in injury or death. The report excluded self inflicted and officer involved shootings.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I've found there are differences in various departments, states, counties etc. It seems things have changed or morphed over the years. That being said, the way I came up, we were taught we are Peace Officers and that one of our main duties was to keep the peace. We took an oath, that we took seriously, to serve and protect, to help people.

I always felt I had an obligation to the public, to all of them, even the A-holes I ran into on a daily basis. (out here ninety five percent of them are from the same place. Sure as hell wouldn't want to be a cop there)

We were taught that we run in when everyone else runs out. Might be a romantic notion, but it's one I've gladly adopted.

It's a good theory, and I have enough cops in my immediate family to believe that most cops WANT to protect people.

Just recently, at a steel plant near where we live, two men died. They were doing something on what amounts to a grain silo, but full of coal. It's used to feed tons of coal to the cookers. They walked out on the coal, for some reason. They're not supposed to, because air pockets in the coal can collapse, like a bubble. Naturally, that is what happened, and the two men were buried under about 20' of coal.

Two of our kids are with the PD in that city. One of them was a few blocks away and responded. First on scene. He did the same thing that caused the problem in the first place. He walked out on the coal and started digging.

Flying with an Air Ambulance is not the safest job. Nor is doing search & rescue (which is a pretty common need in the mountains here). One of the first rules is "don't create more victims". That's a good rule for a lot of situations.

 

[Tez3]

All of the police officers in Uvalde who waited while children were slaughtered are members of a unique group. Devout cowards. May karma get them all.

We've seen the video on all channels news here in UK. Speechless quite frankly.
Here in the UK we had a terrorist killing people on a bridge in London, our unarmed, except for an extendable baton, rushed towards him. One off duty police officer unarmed, also ran to him. Civilians also went for him, though one was armed with a narwhal horn he'd taken off the wall of the building they were in. They ran towards the danger not away.

 

[Dirty Dog]

We've seen the video on all channels news here in UK. Speechless quite frankly.
Here in the UK we had a terrorist killing people on a bridge in London, our unarmed, except for an extendable baton, rushed towards him. One off duty police officer unarmed, also ran to him. Civilians also went for him, though one was armed with a narwhal horn he'd taken off the wall of the building they were in. They ran towards the danger not away.

America has spent a couple generations teaching people how to be victims.

 

[lklawson]

America has spent a couple generations teach people how to be victims.

Or at least teaching them not to be personally-responsible. We've spent a generation or two telling ourselves lies like "violence is never the answer." Sometimes it is not only the answer, it's the best answer and should be tried first.

My friends in OPOTA tell me that the majority of recruits they get now have never even been in a fight; never been so much as punched in the face!

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[Dirty Dog]

Or at least teaching them not to be personally-responsible. We've spent a generation or two telling ourselves lies like "violence is never the answer." Sometimes it is not only the answer, it's the best answer and should be tried first.

Sad but true.

My friends in OPOTA tell me that the majority of recruits they get now have never even been in a fight; never been so much as punched in the face!

It's quite common. New student joins, and the first time they get tagged sparring they just collapse on the floor, pretty much convinced they're going to die. 6-8 months later, they take the same shot and just keep going.