The nation is still on edge following the latest mass shooting and terrorist attack: the massacre of 14 people in San Bernardino, California. Watertown police in recent days sponsored training for residents in how to respond to this kind of emergency
Pete Centola came to Watertown Police headquarters last Thursday with the murderous rampage in San Bernardino heavy on his mind.
“We work in the town hall and sometimes people are not too happy with us and personally I live in the town also and it’s good to know some strategies to help out and save your family if it comes to that”, he said.
Centola wants to know what to do if some angry guy with a gun comes in and starts shooting up the place. For three hours Watertown police instructors laid out a strategy for residents on how to deal with shooters who might invade schools, workplaces or government offices.
“Think of yourself as the attacker. You are now so focused on the victim. That’s your former boss. He fired you….” is what one officer told a group of 30 residents one night at Watertown police headquarters as he delved into what to do to disarm the shooter.
The training is called ALICE, which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. It’s the C in the acronym – COUNTER – that’s the most controversial. Watertown police sergeant George Dimos is heading up the program:
“If you are face to face, that’s where the counter piece comes in. These people are looking to exact revenge on society in some cases, and they are looking to cause mass casualties. These are people who are going to be seeking locations where there are large numbers of people”, said Sgt Dimos.
“So we are teaching, helping people understand that you can use those numbers to your advantage. We can not guarantee that there will be no injuries, but we can potentially reduce, minimize casualties by having large numbers attack a smaller number group of attackers.”
ALICE training was developed by a former SWAT officer after Columbine, mainly to help schools deal with active mass shooting incidents. And it’s been adopted in more than 300 schools.
But many organizations that advocate for youth oppose this approach and describe it as dangerous. Watertown Police Chief, Raymond Dupuis, said nothing is simple – and there’s no one right answer – when it comes to these kinds of events.
“I think it’s a double-edged sword. In some circumstances would it have been a positive outcome if there was a responsible person there that was armed and could help end it and save lives? Everybody would say that was good. You also run the risk of having to many people who aren’t responsible having a weapon also. And if they’re not trained and they start shooting at someone, they could possibly hit civilians.”
The Columbine and Virginia State shootings shocked the nation, but mass shootings have become more common all over, from the November 27th attack on a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado and now the disability center in San Bernardino. That’s why Manoj Hillary came to Watertown Police headquarters:
“I work in a government facility, so it’s [the training] very useful for me because there’s always that threat of people coming in to cause harm”
Another resident, Joan Blaustein, is retired, but said she wants to know what to do if ever faced with the kind of violence as that experienced in Colorado and San Bernardino.
Watertown police say they plan to conduct additional training for residents as shootings become more commonplace, they fear, in the 21st century.
