Preparing for Active Shooter Incidents at Schools
In 2017, the County led the way to streamline future law enforcement response to active shooter incidents at SLO County schools.
The County Sheriff’s Office standardized digital maps used to help local law enforcement respond to an active shooter incident and created a communications plan for all law enforcement agencies in the area to use during an active shooter incident at local schools.
In an emergency, such as an active shooter incident, law enforcement personnel from multiple agencies respond to assist. The County designed standardized maps that identify key locations and terminology to create a consistent platform that all agencies can use during a response. Now, all law enforcement personnel will have the same maps identifying the same key features, even if the responding law enforcement personnel have never been to the school prior to the incident.
A Homeland Security grant helped fund the project and the CAL FIRE’s Graphic Information Systems (GIS) Laboratory was selected to create the maps. The Sheriff’s Office worked closely with other local law enforcement agencies and CAL FIRE GIS to produce the response maps. All local law enforcement agencies helped the County identify 99 schools for this project and gather information including building locations, classroom locations/numbering, best response routes, primary contact information and key campus features for each of the 99 identified schools.
Thanks to these efforts, all school maps are now digital and can be easily accessed on mobile computers found in most law enforcement vehicles throughout SLO County. The digital maps can also be updated in real time, providing officers with the most current information as features and buildings change on school campuses. The project was completed and the maps were provided to each law enforcement agency in February 2017.
Coordinating Communications to Reduce Delays
In addition to the newly created response maps, the Sheriff’s Office also recognized the need for coordinated communication between agencies responding to an active shooter incident.
Studies of these type of tragedies have shown that too many units responding can create as much of a problem as not enough units responding. If too many units respond, medical units and other first responders may be delayed in getting in and out of the location.
To provide coordinated communications between the numerous responding agencies, the County Sheriff’s Office proposed a single countywide communications plan for all law enforcement agencies. The protocol requires all law enforcement agencies responding to an incident not occurring within their jurisdiction to coordinate their response with the Sheriff’s Office communication center. The Sheriff’s Office is responsible for monitoring and controlling the number of units responding to the incident. Police Chiefs from the seven municipalities and two higher education campuses recognized the importance of this communication plan and adopted it into their policies.
The active shooter response maps and communication protocol that the Sheriff’s Office initiated and facilitated are a tremendous step forward in providing law enforcement personnel throughout the County an advanced system to coordinate response and provide the best services possible focused on keeping the children of SLO County communities safe.
The County Sheriff’s Office standardized digital maps used to help local law enforcement respond to an active shooter incident and created a communications plan for all law enforcement agencies in the area to use during an active shooter incident at local schools.
In an emergency, such as an active shooter incident, law enforcement personnel from multiple agencies respond to assist. The County designed standardized maps that identify key locations and terminology to create a consistent platform that all agencies can use during a response. Now, all law enforcement personnel will have the same maps identifying the same key features, even if the responding law enforcement personnel have never been to the school prior to the incident.
A Homeland Security grant helped fund the project and the CAL FIRE’s Graphic Information Systems (GIS) Laboratory was selected to create the maps. The Sheriff’s Office worked closely with other local law enforcement agencies and CAL FIRE GIS to produce the response maps. All local law enforcement agencies helped the County identify 99 schools for this project and gather information including building locations, classroom locations/numbering, best response routes, primary contact information and key campus features for each of the 99 identified schools.
Thanks to these efforts, all school maps are now digital and can be easily accessed on mobile computers found in most law enforcement vehicles throughout SLO County. The digital maps can also be updated in real time, providing officers with the most current information as features and buildings change on school campuses. The project was completed and the maps were provided to each law enforcement agency in February 2017.
Coordinating Communications to Reduce Delays
In addition to the newly created response maps, the Sheriff’s Office also recognized the need for coordinated communication between agencies responding to an active shooter incident.
Studies of these type of tragedies have shown that too many units responding can create as much of a problem as not enough units responding. If too many units respond, medical units and other first responders may be delayed in getting in and out of the location.
To provide coordinated communications between the numerous responding agencies, the County Sheriff’s Office proposed a single countywide communications plan for all law enforcement agencies. The protocol requires all law enforcement agencies responding to an incident not occurring within their jurisdiction to coordinate their response with the Sheriff’s Office communication center. The Sheriff’s Office is responsible for monitoring and controlling the number of units responding to the incident. Police Chiefs from the seven municipalities and two higher education campuses recognized the importance of this communication plan and adopted it into their policies.
The active shooter response maps and communication protocol that the Sheriff’s Office initiated and facilitated are a tremendous step forward in providing law enforcement personnel throughout the County an advanced system to coordinate response and provide the best services possible focused on keeping the children of SLO County communities safe.