On Friday, January 12, 2018, the Connecticut State Police released their after-action report for the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Intended as a review of officers’ actions in an emergency situation, the report concluded that “the response to the December 14, 2012, attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School was handled effectively,” and noted “although the response to the attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School is commendable, this AAR conveys many recommendations and lessons learned for improving response and rescue capabilities to better meet the challenges of this type of emerging threat”.
In its findings, the report offered ten recommendations to assist in police coordination of emergency response in future events, including:
- Pre-Incident Planning, emphasizing coordination between agencies and departments, and identification of high risk targets and appropriate response staging areas.
- Crime Scene Management, recommending rapid reduction of stressors like noise and light at incident scenes, and establishment of control over access to crime scene areas.
- Training, ensuring first responders are prepared for active shooter incidents, and necessary supporting tasks like provision of emergency medical services.
- Public Release of Information, balancing timeliness and accuracy, while not compromising the ongoing investigation and protecting the privacy of any victims.
Sources
http://www.ct.gov/despp/lib/despp/dsp/csp_aar.pdf
