Page 8 - TPA Journal November December 2023

Some jurisdictions have digital floorplans for each school stored on the in-car computers in their
patrol cars, including individual classroom numbers. These floorplans will greatly assist command offi-
cers in deploying first responder assets in ways that will minimize response time and maximize utiliza-
tion of resources on scene.

An active shooter incident is tragic, but none more tragic than those involving innocent children
in school. Law enforcement and schools have come a long way in the past decades improving tactics and
physical security. It is an old adage that the right tool makes any job easier. Law enforcement’s job in a
school shooting is to stop the shooting as quickly as possible. We need the right tools to perform this life-
saving job. Improvement is an ever-evolving goal and we are ready for the next steps in improving our
response to school active shooter incidents.

About the author

Dr. Perry Gilmore is a reserve deputy with the Randall County Texas Sheriff’s Office with 44
years of law enforcement experience. He spent 37 years with the Amarillo Police Department, retiring as
assistant chief of police. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy; his PhD is in psychology. He has
extensive training in school and workplace violence, prediction and management of potentially violent
subjects, and hostage negotiation. Dr. Gilmore founded the hostage negotiation program in Amarillo and
has negotiated over 150 incidents.

Footnotes

Ledur, J. and Rabinowiz, K. (2022, June 8). There have been over 250 mass shootings so far in
2022. The Washington Post. retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/ 2022/06/02/mass-
shootings-in-2022/.

2. September 1, 1992 a student brought a handgun to Palo Duro Highschool in Amarillo Texas
and shot six students; a seventh was trampled by fleeing students. All wounded students recovered, the
shooter was arrested a few blocks from the school, prosecuted, and sent to prison.

3. U. S. Department of Justice. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Active Shooter Resources.
Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/about/partnerships/office-of-partner-engagement/ active-shooter-
resources.

4 www.texaspoliceassociation.com • (512) 458-3140 Texas Police Journal