California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 94

Introduced by Assembly Member Rodriguez

February 11, 2014

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 94—Relative to emergency services.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 94, as introduced, Rodriguez. Emergency services: active shooter incidents.

This measure would recognize that active shooter incidents are increasing and would encourage local fire, law enforcement, and emergency medical services agencies to develop standard operating procedures and coordinated training programs in an effort to more efficiently respond to active shooter incidents in California.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines an
active shooter as an individual actively engaged in killing or
attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; and

WHEREAS, Since the Columbine High School attack in 1999,
active shooter incidents have captured a substantial amount of
public and law enforcement attention; and

WHEREAS, Eighty-four active shooter events occurred between
2000 and 2010, 16 of which occurred in 2009 and 21 of which
occurred in 2010; and

WHEREAS, More than 250 people have been killed in the
United States during active shooter incidents since the Columbine
High School shootings in 1999; and

WHEREAS, Active shooter incidents often occur in small, and
medium-sized communities where police departments are limited
by budget constraints and small workforces; and

WHEREAS, The average active shooter incident are 12 minutes
in duration, with 37 percent of incidents lasting less than five
minutes; and

WHEREAS, Fifty-one percent of active shooter incidents have
been found to occur in the workplace, while 17 percent occurred
in a school, 17 percent occurred in a public place, and 6 percent
occurred in a religious establishment; and

WHEREAS, During 56 percent of active shooter attacks that
were ongoing when police arrived, officers had to use force to stop
the killing; and

WHEREAS, Patrol officers are most likely responding alone or
with a partner to an incident, with one-third of those officers who
enter an incident alone being shot by the intruder; and

WHEREAS, The recent shooting incident at Los Angeles
International Airport (LAX) in November 2013 serves as a grim
reminder that a mass casualty incident can happen at any moment,
in any location; and

WHEREAS, In response to this incident, LAX created an Airport
Response Team, composed of airport employees who will
voluntarily mobilize during future airport-related emergencies to
specifically assist with passenger communication and care; and

WHEREAS, The entry of emergency medical services to an
attack site are often delayed because law enforcement must conduct
a thorough search of the scene in order to declare it secure; and

WHEREAS, The inability, or severely delayed ability, of
emergency medical services personnel to access an active shooter
scene have caused a paradigm shift in law enforcement training
and tactics, as victims are not necessarily expected to escape or
even survive these situations; and

WHEREAS, Recent active shooter incidents have underscored
the need for a coordinated response by law enforcement and others
to save lives; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes that active
shooter incidents appear to be increasing and further encourages
local fire, law enforcement, and emergency medical services
agencies to develop common tactics, communications capabilities,
and terminology to enable seamless and effective operations during
an active shooter incident; and be it further

Resolved, That local fire, law enforcement, and emergency
medical services agencies are encouraged to establish standard
operating procedures and coordinated training programs for these
volatile and dangerous situations in an effort to mitigate risk to
law enforcement officers, as well as the general public; and be it
further

Resolved, That airports, college campuses, and entertainment
venues, where large groups of people often congregate, should
consider implementing response teams, similar to that employed
by LAX, in order to streamline communications with persons
trapped inside a venue and to maximize crowd control measures
and evacuation procedures; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the Office of Emergency Services, the
Department of Justice, and to the author for appropriate
distribution.