ACR 94, as amended, 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 in coordination with the Office of Emergency Services 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.
P2 1WHEREAS, The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines an
2active shooter as an individual actively engaged in killing or
3attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; and
4WHEREAS, Since the Columbine High School attack in 1999,
5active shooter incidents have captured a substantial amount of
6public and law enforcement attention; and
7WHEREAS, Eighty-four active shooter events occurred between
82000 and 2010, 16 of which occurred in 2009 and 21 of which
9occurred in 2010; and
10WHEREAS, More than 250 people have been killed in the
11United States during active shooter incidents since the Columbine
12High School shootings in 1999; and
13WHEREAS, Active shooter incidents often occur in small and
14medium-sized communities where police departments are limited
15by budget constraints and small workforces; and
16WHEREAS, The average active shooter incident are 12 minutes
17in duration, with 37 percent of incidents lasting less than five
18minutes; and
19WHEREAS, Fifty-one percent of active shooter incidents have
20been found to occur in the workplace, while 17 percent occurred
21in a school, 17 percent occurred in a public place, and 6 percent
22occurred in a religious establishment; and
23WHEREAS, During 56 percent of active shooter attacks that
24were ongoing when police arrived, officers had to use force to stop
25the killing; and
26WHEREAS, Patrol officers are most likely responding alone or
27with a partner to an incident, with one-third of those officers who
28enter an incident alone being shot by the intruder; and
29WHEREAS, The recent shooting incident at Los Angeles
30International Airport (LAX) in November 2013 serves as a grim
31reminder that a mass casualty incident can happen at any moment,
32in any location; and
33WHEREAS, In response to this incident, LAX created an Airport
34Response Team, composed of airport employees who will
35voluntarily mobilize during future airport-related emergencies to
36specifically assist with passenger communication and care; and
P3 1WHEREAS, The entry of emergency medical services to an
2attack site are often delayed because law enforcement must conduct
3a thorough search of the scene in order to declare it secure; and
4WHEREAS, The inability, or severely delayed ability, of
5emergency medical services personnel to access an active shooter
6scene have caused a paradigm shift in law enforcement training
7and tactics, as victims are not necessarily expected to escape or
8even survive these situations; and
9WHEREAS, Recent active shooter incidents have underscored
10the need for a coordinated response by law enforcement and others
11to save lives; now, therefore, be it
12Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
13thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes that active
14shooter incidents appear to be increasing and further encourages
15local fire, law enforcement, and emergency medical services
16agencies in coordination with the Office of Emergency Services
17to develop common tactics, communications capabilities, and
18terminology to enable seamless and effective operations during
19an active shooter incident; and be it further
20Resolved, That local fire, law enforcement, and emergency
21medical services agencies are encouraged to establish standard
22operating procedures and coordinated training programs for these
23volatile and dangerous situations in an effort to mitigate risk to
24law enforcement officers, as well as the general public; and be it
25further
26Resolved, That airports, college campuses, and entertainment
27venues, where large groups of people often congregate, should
28consider implementing response teams, similar to that employed
29by LAX, in order to streamline communications with persons
30trapped inside a venue and to maximize crowd control measures
31and evacuation procedures; and be it further
32Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
33of this resolution to the Office of Emergency Services, the
34Department of Justice, and to the author for appropriate
35distribution.
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