Policy Text
FLORIDA CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE 03-15
RESPONSE TO ACTIVE ASSAILANT EVENTS
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for Florida City Police Department sworn and
non-sworn personnel responding to an Active Assailant Event (AAE).
DISCUSSION:
Before Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) concepts were developed, patrol law enforcement
officers responding to AAE and other high-risk event acted with the equipment they carried and
handled the matters themselves. Once SWAT teams were established, agencies trained initial
responding officers to set perimeters and contain AAES until a SWAT team arrived. This led to
unacceptable delays in stopping active assailants and mitigating casualties. Law Enforcement
philosophy evolved and it is now recognized that containment is not the best practice; the first
law enforcement officers on the scene must take immediate action to stop the threat, acting
alone when necessary.
A single officer response to an AAE may be required in response to an armed individual who is
actively injuring or killing people. Florida City Police Officers responding to these events should
remain cognizant that time is of the essence because most innocent lives are lost during the first
few minutes of the AAE event. It is imperative that Officers rapidly assess the situation and act
quickly.
These tactics are specifically designed for then-occurring AAES and situations where people are
reasonably believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries because of the AAE. These tactics
are not necessarily appropriate for barricaded persons or hostage situations when active harm
toward others is not occurring or there are no people present who need to be immediately
rescued because of their life-threatening injuries. Although an active assailant exhibits some of
the same basic characteristics as hostage and barricaded suspects, active assailant suspects are
generally quite different. Active assailant situations usually develop quickly into a deadly
situation and often concluded in a relatively short period of time. Any delay in response and
action may result in the further loss of life.
DEFINITIONS:
A. Active Assailant - One or more people who participate in a life-threatening assault and
demonstrate their intent to continuously or systematically kill or wound others.
B. Active Assailant Event (AAE) - An incident where one or more Active Assailants act to harm or
kill others. Such events include, but are not limited to: School shootings, workplace violence,
terrorist activities, and snipers.
C. Ambulance Exchange Point (AEP) - An area that is located near the Triage Post where, after
triage is completed, victims are moved to for awaiting transport. The area should have easy
ingress and egress and allow for staging of multiple ambulances.
D. Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program - The Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program was established
in 2018 through the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act. Guardians are
armed personnel who aid in the prevention or abatement of active assailant incidents on school
premises. They are either school employees who volunteer to serve in addition to official job
duties or personnel hired for the specific purpose of serving as a school guardian.
E. Barricaded Subject - A person who takes a position of confinement to avoid apprehension (the
use or threatened use of force to resist apprehension shall have been displayed through actions
or words and the officer shall have reason to believe the suspect will use force to avoid
apprehension). A barricaded subject situation is not one where active deadly force is occurring
or where there are victims of deadly force with life threatening injuries who need to be
immediately rescued, as that is an AAE.
F. Casualty Collection Point (CCP) - A temporary location(s) in the Warm Zone where injured
victims can be quickly and safely assembled until it is feasible to move the patients to the Triage
Post or another formal treatment area.
G. Critical Incident Stress Management Team (CISM) - A multi-faceted team comprised of agency
and outside personnel that includes trained mental health professionals and religious
volunteers.
H. Command Post - A post established by the Incident Commander to direct emergency
operations. This may include where the Unified Command is located.
I.
J.
Contact Team - A team formed by the first two to five law enforcement officers to arrive on
scene who are capable of immediate response to an AAE. Contact Team formation are generally
a "T" or diamond formation that provide 360-degree security while advancing through
unsecured areas to engage an active assailant. Contact Team formations and tactics are similar
to Rescue Task Force formations. Based upon circumstances an officer shall take immediate
action if they are the only person on scene. The officer shall not wait for another officer/deputy
to arrive to take immediate action to stop the threat.
Deceased Victim Staging Area - An area within the outer perimeter to where deceased victims
are transported for identification, processing by the Medical Examiner and subsequent
transportation to the Medical Examiner's Office.
K. Hostage Situation - Incidents involving an act or potential act of violence where an innocent
person(s) is being held against their will, and may include a situation where the person is used as
a bargaining tool or a "shield."
L. Incident Commander - The Incident Commander is solely responsible for managing the entire
incident, to include: approval of the tactic plan, deployment of personnel, development of staff
functions to control the incident, coordination of contributing agencies, ordering and releasing
of resources, and the release of information pertaining to the incident. The Incident Commander
shall be based at the Command Post.
M. Mobile Command Center (MCC) - A special purpose vehicle primarily designed to house the