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Wilton, Conn.— Dec. 7, 2015 — Bo Mitchell, president of 911 Consulting, recently presented on active shooters in the workplace at the National Center for Victims of Crime’s 2015 National Training Institute in Anaheim, Calif.
The NCVC is the nation’s leading resource and advocacy organization for crime victims and those who serve them. More than 1,000 civil attorneys, victim advocates, criminal justice professionals, and law enforcement officers attended the annual conference.
Mitchell’s presentation covered workplaces as the primary venue for active shooters.
“Almost all active-shooter incidents with one or more fatalities occur in workplaces,” Mitchell said. “Campuses, hospitals, churches, malls, offices, manufacturers, warehouses, assisted living facilities — they're all workplaces first.”
In his presentation, Mitchell said workplace shootings have quadrupled in the last three years.
“Workers assume their workplace is a sanctuary of safety,” he said. “Yet workplaces large and small are vulnerable to an overstressed employee, jealous domestic partner, vengeful ex-employee, or unstable customer who is armed — and now domestic terrorism.”
Mitchell said employers can and should do all they can to protect their personnel from becoming crime victims.
“Good leaders protect their people,” Mitchell said. “An active-shooter event will unfold at lightning speed in terrifying conditions. Any veteran will tell you people respond they way they’ve been trained. If they have not been trained, they will either freeze, panic, or make deadly decisions.”
Federal law requires that all workplaces plan for a multitude of emergencies and annually train their employees in emergency response.
“Every employer has a duty of care to prevent employees from becoming crime victims,” Mitchell said. “It’s a legal requirement and moral obligation, as well as a very good business practice.”
Mitchell served as police commissioner of Wilton for 16 years, then founded 911 Consulting in 2001. The firm creates emergency plans and conducts training and drills for corporate and campus clients across the country. Mitchell holds 20 certifications in homeland security, organizational safety, and emergency management.
For more information, visit 911Consulting.net.
