As part of a local initiative, Chief Thomas Hyers will be chair of a critical incident response subcommittee from the York County Police Chiefs Association.
York, PA -
Chief Thomas Hyers left Washington, D.C., Wednesday night with his head spinning.
He had just spent the past 12 hours in a Police Executive Research Forum where chiefs from more than 200 entities, including national programs, gathered to share their thoughts on preventing and responding to active shooter incidents.
Hyers said he'll use information he complied in the York County Police Chiefs Association new subcommittee on critical incident response. Hyers is serving as chair of the committee, he said, which includes Chief Mark Bentzel of Northern York County Regional Police; Chief Arthur Smith of West Manchester Township Police; Capt. Ron Camacho of York City Police, and Chief George Swartz of Spring Garden Township Police.
During Wednesday's meeting, Hyers heard from the police chiefs of big cities, including the commanding officials from Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo., were present to share their personal experiences in responding to tragedy.
"So many topics and questions came up that some of us had never thought of," Hyers said. "I couldn't stop thinking -- how can we make sure we're ready?"
The meeting on Wednesday was one of two that Hyers attended this week. On Monday, he met with Vice President Joe Biden in Philadelphia along with about 20 other people to discuss gun safety issues.
"It's not really gun control," Hyers said. "It's about gun safety. How can we make sure we're not violating the Second Amendment, but still ensure people aren't abusing this tool?"
Out of the two meetings, Hyers said, he learned a slew of information he wants to distribute to other police chiefs in York and Lancaster counties. He plans to type up a report and distribute it later this month.
Since 2000, he said, there have 82 active shooter incidents in the United States.
Studies show that 42 percent of those active shooters are already "neutralized" by the time officers arrive on scene, and 4 out of 10 of those incidents are stopped by victims, he added.
Learning that information Wednesday brought up numerous questions
Springettsbury Township Police Chief Thomas Hyers said he told Vice President Joe Biden that there hasn't been legislation for gun violence with a child's name on it. "You could almost put that child's name on a bullet," he said. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
for how to properly train not only school teachers, but also the general public on what to do if an active shooter becomes a threat."We're not asking people to run down the hall and try to stop this guy," Hyers said. "That's the job of the police. But if he comes in a room and you can't hide under a desk, what do you do?"
Hyers said police officials from Newtown, Conn., who responded to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting shared some of their own experiences.
Just more than two months since the December shooting, Hyers said, it was clear the police chief was worried he might lose some of his officers to the emotional and mental trauma that comes with responding to a mass casualty situation.
One training aspect he wants to look at is making sure officers enter a building and are capable of stepping over dead and wounded victims in an effort to first stop the shooter.
"I don't know if I could even walk past someone that's hurt and not help them," Hyers said.
The one question that no one had an answer for was how to get EMTs into any building quickly and safely.
Most EMTs are unarmed and don't wear protective gear, he said, so their safety also has to be considered.
One thing Hyers said he didn't consider that Sandy Hook officials shared was that the bodies of those killed in the school weren't removed until nearly eight hours later.
"You've got families who are without their loved ones and pretty soon people put two and two together," he said. "But how do you protect those families? How do you make sure they're going to be OK?"
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A countywide initiative
Should an active shooter incident take place, Hyers said, he wants to know who is going to cover the streets of his township while his officers respond.
Just last month officers from Springettsbury Township were tied up at the Kmart on Haines Road after officers opened fire on Todd William Shultz, a man police said had tried to run back into the store with a knife.
"One of the first things I wanted to know was who was covering the street while my officers were there," Hyers said. "They had already worked to get surrounding police departments to assist, but in a huge incident -- we're talking massive casualties -- what's the plan?"
Hyers said his emergency plan considers the five officers typically on duty during the day. But what happens when the 30 other officers in the department start showing up? How can he best use surrounding police departments?
"This requires a big plan," Hyers said. "It requires more than just me looking at my plans and saying, 'Well, what can I do?' I want to know what York County can do."
The critical incident response subcommittee is just one step in what Hyers hopes to see happen in York County.
His department is planning a countywide training for May 17 that will include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Red Cross and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, among other agencies who would have to respond to any other type of incident.
Hyers also hopes to invite officials from other large facilities in the township, such as York Galleria and Harley-Davidson, to watch events unfold so that they can consider for themselves: Are they ready for tragedy?
"It's an awkward conversation and a lot of people don't want to have it," Hyers said of emergency planning. "But I'd rather be having the conversation now than get to it when it's too late."
Before the May 17 event, Hyers said, there will be many tabletop discussions between the subcommittee and the entities that will be involved in the drill.
"The training we hope to do is something I believe is crucial to covering this," he said.
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How does the violence end?
"Active shooters have one goal," Hyers said. "Kill."
He paused and raised his finger and repeated, "Kill."
"Not shoot.
"Not wound.
"Kill."
Most of the people involved in active shooter incidents are legal gun owners until they pull the trigger, he said.
And while Americans have repeatedly asked for legislation to stop these violent killings, he said, nothing has been enough.
Hyers said during his meeting with Biden he pulled a bullet from his wallet and explained that a girl named Amber Hagerman was murdered and it led to the creation of the Amber Alert for missing children.
Megan Kank was abducted, rapped and murdered and it led to Megan's Law for sex offenders.
"But what happened to the little girl before Megan?" Hyers said. "Why was it Megan made something change?"
Hyers said he told Biden that there hasn't been legislation for gun violence with a child's name on it.
"You could almost put that child's name on a bullet," Hyers said.
Biden told Hyers he thinks any legislation that comes from these meetings should be named after Sandy Hook.
"If that's the case, I can put that bullet back in my wallet," Hyers said. "We certainly haven't seen the last of these shootings, but I think we're on the right track to make sure we know what to do when it happens."
Read more
Springettsbury Township police chief talks gun control with Vice President Joe Biden
Springettsbury police chief to join Biden in Philadelphia to discuss gun control.
Springettsbury chief: Police, schools should plan together against potential violence.
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