Officers with discipline will take charge
The Atlantic Magazine recently had a story by Jamie Thompson about active shooters in schools that I found extremely interesting. It’s titled “To Stop a Shooter” and deals with the way armed law enforcement officers deal with active shooters. It’s tough being a law enforcement officer these days, and I want to share a few insights with my readers.
Although I’m grateful for Thompson’s research and insights, the analyses I am presenting are my own, and I warn the reader ahead of time that some of this article may be graphic.
Broward County sheriff’s deputy Scot Peterson was on duty at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida when the announcement came that there was a shooter in Building 12. Racing forward, he arrived at the building two minutes later. By that time, Nikolas Cruz had already shot 24 people on the first floor, 11 of them fatally, and was heading for the third floor with his AR-15 rifle. Peterson was outside standing beside a concrete wall with his pistol drawn. He did nothing! Even when arriving officers entered the building, he stayed put. He was later charged for numerous crimes, but in the eyes of the public, he was on trial for being a coward.
Questions, big questions! Why didn’t Peterson do something? Had he intervened, he might have saved a number of lives. You may easily imagine the feelings of anger and remorse surviving family members had, as well as people all across our nation. There was this security guard hiding behind a wall just 75 feet away doing nothing while kids were being killed. He was not wearing his ballistic vest because it was too hot, and his patrol rifle was locked in his car’s trunk. And yet, after all the evidence was presented, Peterson was exonerated in court. Why?
Obviously, Peterson was scared and did not know what to do. Yes, he was armed with a handgun, but it was worthless at 75 feet. Witnesses said emotionally he was a basket case. If he went inside, it was a life or death situation. If he stayed outside, he was a coward and kids were being killed. Unfortunately, there was no one present to tell him what to do. It took valuable minutes for other officers to arrive, and most of them also hesitated. Even the SWAT team members wandered around unsure of what to do. Thankfully, officers from a neighboring department immediately jumped in and confronted the shooter. Peterson was not alone.
Broward County’s policy clearly states that an officer under these circumstances “may” (not “shall”) intervene. The sheriff later clarified this position by claiming he wanted to give his officers discretion, saying he wanted a tactical response, not a suicide mission. When the sergeant arrived, he understood his job was to control the scene, set up a perimeter, establish a command post and call for extra help. Another officer drove off to set up a perimeter. Another hid behind a tree with his rifle. Dispatch didn’t have the authority to tell them what to do, and the command staff was too busy analyzing the situation.
Only the officers from Coral Springs appeared to know what to do. Most of the officers from Broward County arrived without body protection with their rifles locked in the trunk of their cars. While they were trying to decide whether to use a less-lethal cartridge, a slug for their shotgun, or to grab their AR-15, kids were screaming and dying all over the place. Perhaps the only thing constant to all the officers was the traumatic effect of their emotions.
Peterson was not alone in failing to do his duty. The other officers equally were at fault, as was the command staff. The big thing was that no one wanted to take control. If command had made a decision to quickly enter the building and things went wrong, they would be sued by everybody. If the officers entered without command telling them to, they were in for disciplinary action. No one assumed command.
Of course, the blame was laid on poor training, and certainly good training is essential in law enforcement; but I can tell you outright that no country boy familiar with shooting rabbits and deer would be standing around. He would be inside doing all he could stop the shooter. It’s a “copout” to blame it on training. It is better to blame it on poor discipline, the refusal of people to take charge for whatever reason, and the fear of litigation. Experts who have analyzed these situations have concluded that the problem lies in poor leadership and training, but also the emotional response officers involved experience. Peterson was not convicted, but I can guarantee that the rest of his life will be a living hell as he copes with PTSD.
I have been a law enforcement chaplain for 31 years, and I have never ridden with an officer who was not wearing protective body armor, who did not have his long rifle locked in a bracket right next to him, and who hasn’t readily expressed to me how he or she had gone over in their minds many times how to intervene in these situations should they occur. While no one knows for sure what he or she would do in such a situation, the law enforcement officers I have been privileged to ride with were ready, and I do not think for a moment they would hesitate to act.
Robert Box has been a law enforcement chaplain for 30 years. He is a diplomate-level chaplain with the International Conference of Police Chaplains and is an endorsed chaplain with the American Baptist Churches USA. He also currently serves as a deputy sheriff chaplain for the Benton County Sheriff’s Office. Opinions expressed are those of the author and not the agencies he serves.