BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1598
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1598 (Rodriguez)
As Amended May 23, 2014
Majority vote
GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION 19-0 PUBLIC SAFETY 7-0
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Ayes:|Hall, Nestande, |Ayes:|Ammiano, Melendez, |
| |Achadjian, Bigelow, | |Jones-Sawyer, Quirk, |
| |Campos, Chesbro, Cooley, | |Skinner, Stone, Waldron |
| |Dababneh, Gray, Roger | | |
| |Hernández, Jones, | | |
| |Jones-Sawyer, Levine, | | |
| |Medina, Perea, V. Manuel | | |
| |Pérez, Salas, Waldron, | | |
| |Wilk | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Ayes:|Gatto, Bigelow, | | |
| |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian | | |
| |Calderon, Campos, | | |
| |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez, | | |
| |Holden, Jones, Linder, | | |
| |Pan, Quirk, | | |
| |Ridley-Thomas, Wagner, | | |
| |Weber | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY : Requires fire, law enforcement, and emergency medical
services agencies to jointly establish standard operating
procedures and coordinated training programs for active shooter
incidents. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the Curriculum Development Advisory Committee (CDAC)
to consult with the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and
Training (CPOST).
2)Requires that the Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA)
AB 1598
Page 2
training standards include criteria for coordinating between
different responding entities.
3)Requires the Interdepartmental Committee on Emergency Medical
Services (ICEMS) to consult with CPOST regarding emergency
medical services integration and coordination with peace
officer training.
4)Requires CPOST's guidelines and training standards to address
tactical casualty care.
5)Defines, for purposes of this bill, a "terrorism incident" to
include, but not be limited to, an active shooter incident.
An "active shooter incident" is an incident where an
individual is actively engaged in killing or attempting to
kill people.
6)Provides that it is the intent of the Legislature to do the
following:
a) Require development of collaborative protocols and
relationships between local and state first response
entities, including law enforcement agencies, fire
departments, and emergency medical services providers and
agencies, in order that those entities shall act
effectively and in concert to address active shooter
incidents across California.
b) Require first response entities to seek collaborative
training opportunities, including, but not limited to,
table top or simulation exercises, to assess plan
implementations, and to include other entities that may be
involved in active shooter incidents in those trainings,
such as schools, city or county personnel, and private
businesses.
c) Require that the basic and ongoing training for law
enforcement agency personnel, fire department personnel,
emergency medical services personnel, and the personnel for
other first responders include, as appropriate, training
and education on active shooter incidents and care.
7)States that it is further the intent of the Legislature that
each first response entity, in collaboration with other law
AB 1598
Page 3
enforcement agencies, fire departments, and emergency medical
service providers and agencies, develop protocols for
responding to active shooter incidents.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, significant costs, though likely absorbable, to the
various affected departments to develop and implement the
training in the bill, particularly with respect to local law
enforcement and emergency medical services.
COMMENTS :
Purpose of the bill: According to the author, although active
shooter incidents are not frequent events, they do occur. As an
example, in November 2013, a gunman entered Terminal 3 at Los
Angeles Airport (LAX) and opened fire. In the hours after the
shooting, many travelers said they were not told what was
happening. Many waited for hours on airport roadways, not
knowing when they would be let back into terminals. Though law
enforcement officials were quick to respond to the incident, the
shooting at LAX raised scrutiny as to how the fleeing crowds
were managed throughout the attack and its aftermath.
The author further states that since the Columbine High School
attack in 1999, active shooter events have captured a
substantial amount of public and police attention. Emergency
medical services entry to an attack site is often delayed
because the police must conduct a thorough search of the scene
in order to declare it secure. California responders need to
work together to minimize response times and to work together as
a coordinated unit so that casualties are reduced and minimized.
This bill encourages local fire, law enforcement, and emergency
medical services agencies to jointly establish standard
operating procedures and coordinated training programs for
active shooter incidents.
By requiring cooperative training and planning, law enforcement
and emergency responders can more quickly secure a scene and
permit lifesaving medical care to be provided to the injured.
Active shooter: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
defines an active shooter as "an individual actively engaged in
killing or attempting to kill people in a conned and populated
area." While most active shooter events involve the use of
AB 1598
Page 4
firearms, there have been various cases that have also involved
the use of homemade explosive devices. Individuals who carry
out these types of attacks have, in most cases, not had a
criminal background history or shown any signs of a violent
past. According to DHS, in many cases, there is no pattern or
method to the selection of victims by an active shooter, and
these situations are by their very nature unpredictable and
evolve quickly.
As a response to the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, the Advance
Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) conducted a
study titled, U.S. Active Shooter Events from 2000-2012. The
study found that between 2000 and 2010 there had been 84 active
shooter events in the United States that resulted in 250 deaths
and countless other injured. In addition, the study also found
that in 56% of the attacks that were still ongoing when the
police arrived, the police had to use force to stop the killing,
attackers carried multiple weapons in 41% of the attacks, and
business locations were the most frequently attacked (37%),
followed by schools (34%) and public outdoor venues (17%).
DHS has approached education and training for active shooter
situations by creating an online training module for non-law
enforcement personnel and by developing a training program for
law enforcement and security personnel.
As active shooter incidents increase across the United States,
organizations such as schools, government agencies, and private
sector businesses are opting to have security experts provide
threat and risk assessment services as well as some type of
active shooter response training for their staff. While the
emergency response community continues to work on the best way
to prepare and put a quick end to these types of attacks, it
seems clear that the best way to deal with active shooter
attacks is by preparing and coordinating between the various
local fire, law enforcement, and emergency medical services.
Analysis Prepared by : Felipe Lopez / G.O. / (916) 319-2531
FN: 0003732
AB 1598
Page 5