Post-Sandy Hook Active Shooter Training Has Already Saved Lives, Says FBI Director James Comey

Post-Sandy Hook Active Shooter Training Has Already Saved Lives, Says FBI Director James Comey
In this Aug. 13, 2013 photo, FBI instructor Mike Copeland, second from left, prepares local police officers for an active shooter drill in a college classroom in Salisbury, Md., as part of an FBI program that teaches local law enforcement best practices for responding to mass shootings. The goal is to promote a standardized strategy as multiple local police departments -- invariably the first officers at any scene -- respond to the same shooting. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
In this Aug. 13, 2013 photo, FBI instructor Mike Copeland, second from left, prepares local police officers for an active shooter drill in a college classroom in Salisbury, Md., as part of an FBI program that teaches local law enforcement best practices for responding to mass shootings. The goal is to promote a standardized strategy as multiple local police departments -- invariably the first officers at any scene -- respond to the same shooting. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

WASHINGTON -- The active shooter training that the FBI has been giving to local and state law enforcement officials across the country in the wake of the Sandy Hook killings has already saved lives, FBI Director James Comey told reporters Friday.

Comey said the chief of police in Murrysville, Pennsylvania "wanted to make sure that I knew that the FBI's training had saved children" when a student stabbed 25 people at Franklin Regional High School last month.

"One of the pieces of training we've been pushing out is tell responders to be sure to keep a path clear for ambulances," Comey told reporters. "One of the things we've learned from examining past incidents is the law enforcement responders race up, park their cars at all sorts of angles and race towards the building, completely blocking the roads."

"So one of the things we've been teaching is race up, but somebody needs to take command and keep one road clear," Comey continued. "And the chief wanted me to know that kids lived who would otherwise have bled out and died that day because he had gotten that training and he insisted that a lane be kept clear, and the ambulances got right up, grabbed the kids that were bleeding badly and got them out and saved their lives."

Comey also said that the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit is regularly working with state and local law enforcement to address concerns about individuals who might be plotting a violent attack.

"We've put the word out to all of our partners -- if there's a troubled person in your community, [a] troubled student, anybody you worry about, you can bounce it off us and consult with our experts down at Quantico and they'll offer you advice on how you should think about the risk," Comey said.

Local and state law enforcement are regularly taking advantage of the program, Comey said. He added that an individual who was believed to have been plotting a mass shooting was sent to a mental health unit within the last week after local law enforcement intervened based on the BAU's recommendation.

Special Agent Ann Todd, an FBI spokeswoman in Quantico, told The Huffington Post that the bureau could not offer any details on the case because it was ongoing.

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