Sadly, the history pages will memorialized events like those of Columbine, Colorado, Fort Hood, Texas, and Sandy Hook, Connecticut as stepping stones to what have become a common occurrence in the American way of life (Johnson, 2016). Mass shootings, and particularly school shootings are catastrophic to first responders. As police officers prepare to train for such events, one thing to keep in mind is the impact and response create psychological scars that will hunt them for long periods of time (Jordan, 2003). The …show more content…
Technological advances have made great strides in providing officers with the last and most innovative advantages. One of the most defining incidents in the history of police tactics were the events that took place at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. Two heavily armed students entered their campus and began hunting fellow students, teachers, and other staff. Former police training required responding officers to wait for additional units and surround the building while SWAT responded (Moore, 2011). In addition to dead and wounded all departments were strongly criticized by their lack of action. Thus, the events of that horrifying spring of 99, forced police to rethink their response as well as responsibility when answering such