By DEMIE JOHNSON
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Appropriate police response to a situation such as an active shooter is a major discussion following the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
In the days following the shooting, police in Texas have admitted they made mistakes in their response.
During a webinar hosted Wednesday night by Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness and the Fishers Police Department, Chief Ed Gebhard said his department practices mass-shooting responses in some form every day.
Gebhart
Gebhart said, at the Fishers Police Department, two leaders are on every shift. He said those officers in command are expected to step up and make a plan even during non-threatening calls.
“Because it is repetition that is gonna make us successful on the day of a very chaotic, screaming, people running everywhere type of event,” Gebhart said.
When it comes to more serious events, such the school shooting in Texas, Gebhart said tactics are constantly changing.
“Back to what I kind of referred to as ‘the diamond’ was kind of one of the first formations that came into law enforcement,” Gebhart said. “You had to wait for four tactical operators of a sort to make a safe breach and entry into a school system and that was trained ultimately until more shootings occurred in schools and businesses, and we realized quickly that there was no time.”
Now, he said, there’s only one way police departments should be responding.
“First man goes in. First man or woman on scene must go in and is required a solo response and that’s how we’ve evolved from Columbine to today’s patrolling and policing,” Gebhart said.
When asked by Fadness how Gebhart can be sure his officers will respond appropriately if confronted with a situation such as Uvlade, Gebhart said Fishers officers are well-trained and well-equipped to go into a situation solo.
“Our officers are issued not only primary weapons but also rifles to be able to go in and succeed, and we make sure we routinely have those out in training throughout the year,” Gehbart said.