Palm Beach Police on active-shooter incidents: 'Neutralize' threats, treat wounded is primary goal

The recent mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, that left 21 people dead, including 19 children, sparked debate about police response after it became known that officers on the scene waited more than an hour before going in to take down the gunman.

Against this background, the Daily News asked the question: How would Palm Beach Police respond to an active shooter incident?

The answer: Officers would utilize the training they regularly undertake to secure the scene as quickly as possible and tend to the injured, Police Department spokesman Capt. William Rothrock said last week.

How would Palm Beach Police respond to an active shooter incident?

"Our police officers are dedicated to their sworn oaths to protect the community, and they're provided with the training and equipment required to bring that dedication to bear when it is required," he said. "Whether we have 10 officers, two officers, or one officer on scene, our officers are trained and directed to end active-shooter threats and save lives."

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Law enforcement officials in Uvalde, Texas, have been criticized for not confronting the heavily armed, 18-year-old shooter sooner as he locked himself inside a fourth-grade classroom with students and teachers inside.

In the event of an active shooter incident, "our primary goal is to prevent any loss of life through the immediate neutralization of threats and treatment of wounded victims, if any," Rothrock said.

Palm Beach police officers train and prepare regularly for active shooter incidents such as those that occurred in Uvalde and in Buffalo, N.Y., where an 18-year-old man killed 10 people at a grocery store May 14. The department conducts training sessions at schools and religious institutions in town, Rothrock said.

Periodic trainings also are conducted at buildings and homes scheduled for demolition that owners offer for the department's use. Schools are typically used during while students are on breaks, while other locations are more flexible, Rothrock said.

The department also conducts joint force-on-force training with the town's Fire Rescue Department. This type of training is scenario-based and uses role players and simulated ammunition.

Two years ago, the department added virtual reality technology to help train officers. A $300,000 donation from the Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation paid for a VirTra 300 training simulator at the South Fire Rescue station on South Ocean Boulevard.

The simulator allows the instructor operating the software to portray 284 scenarios that officers could face in real life. VirTra also lets instructors upload locations from their own cities to re-create streets and places familiar to officers.

What can you do to help if encountered with suspicious persons, events?

While active shooter training is a key element of police work within the town, law enforcement officials also work to foster community relationships and encourage residents and business owners to contact the department if they encounter any suspicious persons or events, Rothrock said.

"We rely on them to be our eyes and ears when we are not physically present," he said. "Internally and through multi-jurisdiction contacts, we thoroughly investigate any concern brought to our attention, and have zero tolerance for threats to do violence."

Rothrock said Palm Beach has never experienced an active-shooter event, but police have responded to numerous incidents that involved firearms. Several of those incidents ended with a person dying by suicide, Rothrock said.

In all of those situations, active-shooting preparations and training proved to be useful and necessary for law enforcements officials, he added.

"Any one of those incidents could have turned out differently," Rothrock said. "But all were serious, with serious responses from our department."

Keeping residents and business owners safe from potential gun violence has been a priority for town officials.

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In October 2019, months after the gun group Florida Carry stopped at the Royal Park Bridge openly displaying firearms, then-Palm Beach Mayor Gail Coniglio and Police Chief Nicholas Caristo urged the state Senate to change the wording of the Florida Weapons and Firearms statute.

They wrote a letter to State Sen. Bobby Powell expressing concern with the “Lawful Uses” section of Florida Statute 790.25 (3) (h), which allows the “use and possession of a firearm while engaged in fishing, camping, target shooting or hunting, or going to and from lawful hunting, fishing, target shooting or camping expeditions.”

In the letter, Coniglio and Caristo requested that the language in the statute be expanded to say a lawful activity “may not be conducted within 1,500 feet of the real property comprising any school, house of worship, government building, or guarded beach.”

Powell, D-West Palm Beach, told the Daily News that he agreed with the language change proposed by Caristo and Coniglio, and planned to file legislation seeking a proposed amendment to the statute.

That legislation, however, died in the Infrastructure and Security Committee during the 2020 legislative session, and was indefinitely postponed.

Caristo said he would continue to push for changes to state law that would prohibit the open use or possession of firearms within a certain distance of schools and houses of worship.

"Efforts to ensure the safety of the public and the public’s feelings of security are important," he said.

Mayor Danielle Moore said that the Town Council would consider backing potential legislation, with every member having the opportunity to weigh in.

"Any official support of any legislation would need to be discussed by the entire council and a conclusion determined by the whole," she said.

Residents and business owners can report suspicious activity by calling the department's non-emergency number at 561-838-5454, or by visiting www.palmbeachpolice.com. For emergencies, dial 911.

Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: After Texas shooting, Palm Beach Police's training for active shooter