Volume 11 Program 10
Could A Russian School Siege
Happen Here?
DUTY SHEET AND LESSON PLAN
Total Program Length 30:51
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OVERVIEW:
The world watches as hundreds of children are raped, wired for death and ultimately
destroyed in what is now internationally known as “Terror at Beslan.” In the Line of
Duty and renowned law enforcement instructor Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman
reveal the unsettling truth that yes, it can and it will happen at another school somewhere.
Preparation and response are key to reducing fatalities in this inevitable horror.
THE INCIDENT: (2:00)
Few acts of terror can bring a nation to its knees faster than a threat to our children. Most
of law enforcement’s most respected thinkers and teachers agree that it’s a matter of time
before the US sees our youngest citizens targeted as part of a political statement.
September 1st, 2004, the first day of school at public School Number One. More than
1,200 children and parents arrive for the annual celebration of youth and knowledge in
Beslan, in the North Ossetia region of Russia.
Chechnyan rebels take this opportunity to storm and overwhelm the school. They take
hundreds of hostages, many of whom are between 6 and 16 years old.
The assault has taken time to plan and implement. The rebels have managed to plant
mines and shrapnel-loaded booby-traps throughout the school and in the gymnasium,
where over the three-day siege most of the hostages are herded. Children are denied the
basic necessities of food, water and toilets. Many are repeatedly raped.
The rebels prevent rescue attempts by promising to kill 50 hostages for each of their men
killed by police. They vow to trigger the bombs if Russian forces storm the school. This
holds authorities at bay until Day 3, when troops rush in to find the horrific scene. Before
action can be taken, a bomb explodes in the gym, and many of the hostages and liberators
are killed outright. Others are shot in the back as they attempt to escape.
When the smoke clears, the bodies are counted. 323 hostages, among them 156 children,
are murdered.
So prepared are the terrorists that many believe they have brought weapons and
explosives into the school well before the siege. Examination of the scene suggests
weapons had been hidden under the gymnasium floor during summer construction work.
Later, news networks report that the Chechen rebels are affiliated with the Al Qaeda
terror network. NBC reports “Al Qaeda is using the hostage murders as a recruiting
tool.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin says “We couldn’t adequately respond… we showed
weakness, and weak people are beaten.”
OUR RESPONSE: (15:00)
Lt. Col. David Grossman, US Army Ranger (retired) is founder and director of the
Killology Research Group. He has written extensively about school violence and
terrorism and their effects on American lives.
Lt. Col. Grossman says a terror attack on US schools “is the single most psychologically,
economically devastating thing they could do. If they come to four schools tomorrow
morning, and kill 100 kids…. they would probably shut down every school in North
America. On 9-11 they hijacked four planes. What did we do? We shut every airport in
North America until we put serious armed security in every airport. Well there are one
hell of a lot more schools than there are airports.
Col. Grossman is an internationally-recognized scholar, author, soldier and speaker who
is one of the worlds’ foremost experts in the fields of human aggression and the roots of
violence and violent crime.
Col. Grossman says the story begins in 1974 with the Ma’Alot Massacre, when
Palestinians come to an Israeli school and murder 21 children. Rather than wartime
“collateral damage,” this attack involves three men who walk into an elementary school
with the sole purpose of killing children. He calls it an intentional, systematic act of war.
From that date, every Israeli school has been a “virtual fortress.”
Terror groups know that attacking schools is the most devastating thing they can do to our
society. Organized terrorists would certainly leave a greater tragedy in their wake than
that of Columbine High School or Virginia Tech. It’s also likely that attacks would not
be limited to a single school, but would target four simultaneously.
Special Alert to California law enforcement: The Chechen rebels in Beslan were at
least 49 strong. Col. Grossman says it’s unlikely a terror group would muster that size a
team here, though not impossible, especially along the US-Mexican border.
Terrorists would look for easy access for brief forays into the US. Conditions are
favorable in this region due to inconsistent border security, close proximity of schools to
the border, and the fact that California lacks the “gun culture” of Texas and other
southwestern states. Clearly “a quarter-million concealed carry permit holders and a rifle
rack in every pickup” would deter a well-planned assault. They’ll look for the place with
the least resistance, where people can’t or won‘t shoot back.
The Colonel is quick to clarify that nobody knows the future and as of this interview there
are no known plans for a terrorist attack of this kind. But the odds are not in our favor, he
says, because it has happened before and often, and it is the single most psychologically
and economically devastating thing they can do. They have conducted a “dress
rehearsal,” and Osama bin-Laden has “flat promised us that what happened in Russia will
happen to America many times over.”
The Cop’s Job: Col. Grossman says that while patrol officers can not literally stop an
incoming plane, or the flow of anthrax, smallpox or plutonium coming across the border,
“it is, by God, your job to put a chunk of steel in your fist and kill the sons of bitches who
are coming to kill your kids and destroy your way of life, and YOU CAN DO IT.
“You’ve got the rifles, you’ve got the training, you’ve got the response. You go in like
thunder. And if we stop them at just one school… the rest of America will say ‘we don’t
have to shut down every school in America.’”
Even a small number of terrorists in a single school can do a vast amount of damage. But
Col. Grossman advocates locking down and compartmentalizing students to limit the
intruders’ access to children.
He says “come in like thunder.” In the Red Lake, Minnesota Middle School shooting,
the shotgun-wielding student is able to shoot a security officer, a teacher and several
classmates before Tribal police respond and kill him eight minutes later. Eight minutes is
a lot of time in an active shooter event but this carnage is limited when the shooter has to
break down a classroom door to get to his victims. Lockdown drills and other security
measures taken well in advance of this assault limited the shooter’s access and thereby
limited the number of victims.
“Every cop in America has to tell themselves ‘by God, if they come to my school, they
got a hell of a surprise coming to them.’” Have an extra bag of ammunition in the
trunk of your patrol car, Col.. Grossman advises, in the event that a single officer is a
“lone ranger for the first five minutes.” Have the extra magazines in your “go-bag” and
be prepared. Return to the car as needed, but remember that even one officer behind
cover can seriously distract and slow down a group of attackers.
Col. Grossman says the average police officer will respond with three magazines, about
one minute’s worth in a shoot out. “Now what are you going to do? You flat pissed him
off, and he owns your kids, and you’re out of ammo. You’ve got no choice but to run and
let him kill your kids.”
But, he says, if you have a supply in your vehicle, you can get more ammunition and go
back in like thunder.
Preplanning costs nothing. Go-bags cost nothing. And according to the Colonel, rifles
cost nothing, or next to nothing. Every patrol car should have a rifle or officers are
outgunned. If your department doesn’t have them, look into military giveaway programs
or start the process for your agency to purchase and carry personal rifles. In an ideal
world, Col. Grossman says, he wouldn’t want federal funds going to any law enforcement
agency that does not authorize officers to do so.
Every state has a 10-33 LESO Coordinator who distributes military surplus gear. In
Illinois, for example, the division is Central Management Services. Among the offerings
are M-16 rifles available for department purchase or given at no charge to
qualifying agencies. Col. Grossman recalls an e-mail from an Ohio police chief who
says he was able through military programs to arm every one of his officers with rifles.
He says “by God, if the sons of bitches come to my town, our response time is measured
in feet per second.” This attitude is what makes American schools safer, rather than “it
will never happen here.”
The fastest and least expensive way for a department to get rifles it to authorize officers
to purchase and carry their own. The Illinois State Police authorize every trooper to do
so despite the anti-gun attitude of the state overall. Col. Grossman says five rifles can be
bought for the cost of one laptop.
St. Louis County (Missouri) Police Captain Kurt Frisz commands the Tactical Operations
Unit. He says the Columbine Massacre was a reality check for law enforcement. It has
forced a reevaluation of officers’ responsibilities in active shooter situations. The
traditional response has been for the first responding officers on the scene to set up
containment and call the tactical team. This is no longer the standard in rapid response
training.
Newer training emphasizes the role of the first responding officers, who are expected to
use whatever information they have and go in to the scene to locate and eliminate the
shooter. Capt. Frisz trains the way most departments do, with a diamond formation of
two or more officers entering the structure to engage the suspect and stop the threat.
Colonel Grossman says Columbine has prompted the most significant change in law
enforcement strategy and tactics in our lifetime. Even before this benchmark event, he
says most officers would have taken appropriate action. But since Columbine, the rapid
response training has become standard training across the country. Col. Grossman says
now every officer imagines that scenario playing out and knows his or her job, and is
trained and ordered to do it.
It’s critical that departments continue to train for these events. One illustration of an
individual’s decision having an impact is that of United Flight 93, when on September
11th, one passenger rallied others and fought back. This decision literally stopped a
terrorist act and saved lives. Americans now know that it is possible to win the war on
terror one act at a time if necessary.
Flight 93 also serves as a reminder that it’s possible - and necessary - to stop threats
before they can take lives. Col. Grossman urges officers making traffic stops to take
the time to examine every vehicle closely. Ask probing questions, find out what’s in the
trunk, what’s in the back seat, and if something doesn’t sound right, look closer still.
Interdiction, interviewing and deception recognition training is available and should be
mandatory in every agency. He says that the bottom line is that a meticulous and
persistent officer will pick up on cues that something on that stop is out of place and
deserving of further attention. Look for the small clues. Be inquisitive. Ask while you
have the chance, because the missed opportunity will be revisited forever.
Colonel Grossman has heard firsthand from the first responding officers from the Bailey,
Colorado Platte Canyon High School terror. They told the Colonel’s class that there are
things to look for that could prevent an assault like they witnessed. Duane Roger
Morrison had parked on the school’s parking lot the day before he entered the school,
walked the halls for a half hour, then entered a classroom where he ultimately molested,
raped and shot several young female students.
Several adults in the school that day later say they had seen the man walking the halls,
and they recall thinking that he was out of place, that something was wrong about his
being there. Col. Grossman says this is a reminder to officers and civilians alike, that
when you see something that isn’t right, don’t ignore it. Take action. Approach him, ask
for ID. Note the tag number, any specific identifier.
Be alert for:
Static surveillance
Mobile surveillance
People videotaping children or facilities
People who are watching emergency drills
Questions about security
Citizen involvement is critical to the safety of our schools. In Israel, for example, most
civilians have had military training and are integrated into the civic structure. Colonel
Grossman suggests cities consider arming teachers, an idea adopted by Utah and New
Hampshire, where concealed carry permit holders are authorized to carry inside schools.
Perhaps coincidentally, neither of these states has to this date experienced a major school
shooting. One Oregon Sheriff has essentially deputized his county’s CCP holders to
augment his agency in the event of a threat in his community. What’s your plan?
School involvement is essential. Col. Grossman says administration must conduct
lockdown drills as they now do tornado or fire drills. Just as children are taught “stop,
drop and roll,” and “stranger danger,” children must be trained how to respond in an
intruder crisis. While this idea still meets resistance from educators and local leaders,
children deserve to know where to go and what to do if a person with a gun comes into
their school. Fire drills are mandated by law, Col. Grossman says, and lockdown or
intruder drills should be as well.
LESSONS LEARNED: (4:56)
John Giduck has been a soldier, trial lawyer, national weight-lifting champion, and US
Army Special Forces hand-to-hand combat and firearms instructor. His book, Terror at
Beslan, has become the focal point of training and preparation for possible school attacks
in the US, similar to the horrors at Beslan. Currently he consults and trains law
enforcement on antiterrorism.
In his book, Mr. Giduck writes “a situation like Beslan would force American law
enforcement to confront circumstances and hurdles unlike anything they have seen
before. He says, “it will be a war, and police officers will have to learn to deal with
factors that are not a part of everyday police work, no matter how terrible or difficult.”
Don’t view a terrorist siege through a soda straw: The first incident may be a
diversion, with a greater effort to be launched once law enforcement resources are
committed there.
Shotguns are of little use: They won’t penetrate body armor and they are not precise
delivery weapons.
Eavesdropping: Have boom and directional microphones and receivers available to
intercept terrorist communications.
Hard perimeter: Establish hard outer and inner perimeter security quickly.
Know who they are: At Beslan, terrorists had backup and people outside the school
monitoring troop movement, position and security.
Media: Keep TV cameras away; they could easily feed intelligence to the terrorists.
Maintain crowd control: It took three hours for the fastest-responding tactical unit to
arrive in Beslan. By then, many in the crowd who were parents were armed and trying to
storm the school themselves.
Civilian assistance possible: Russian police are considering the use of “civilian
assistants” in crowd control, but will use only members of the same ethic group as the
crowd’s majority.
Medical assistance: Alert all possible medical assistance. Make certain a staging area is
quickly established and accessible.
One shot, one kill: Set up snipers at once. Keep them in the loop at all times.
No Shoot: Immediately establish a “no shoot” order to every law enforcement officer on
the scene. An inadvertently discharged weapon within hearing range of hostage-takers or
civilians may be the triggering incendiary for a real horror story.
Explosives: Consider it likely that all entry points of the school will be wired with
explosives. If you do not have an EOD team or expert on your staff, establish a
relationship with one.
No time like now: Have a contingency assault plan, and give one person on scene the
authority to issue the “go” order.
The actual assault: Once the decision to assault is made, you must “go in like thunder.”
like Delta and SEAL Six; This means the maximum force of violence.
Colonel Grossman adds “the most critical lesson we need to take to the bank regarding
terrorists is simply this: they are terrorists…. You identify the most mind-numbing, gutwrenching thing that can happen, and that’s at the top of their list. School massacres,
daycare massacres, these are the things that Israel has lived with for 30 years. And when
they come here - not if but when they come here - these are the kinds of things we’re
looking for.
“We gotta worry about nukes, we gotta worry about anthrax, if they got nukes they will
use them. But Israel, I believe, is our future and the problem is we’re in denial. We don’t
think they’re gonna do to us what they do to everyone else. And because we’re in denial,
because we deny the magnitude of the evil, of the kind of things they can do, when it
happens it will stun us, destroy us and devastate us all the more.
“They are terrorists, and the things that terrorists do are the most mortifying, mindnumbing, gut-wrenching things you can imagine. And coming to a school and killing a
couple hundred kids is definitely at the top of that list.”
For more vital information visit:
www.terroratbeslan.com or
www.killology.com
QUESTIONS: (2:42)
1.
Is your agency doing enough training for an active shooter situation?
2.
If not, what additional training would YOU recommend?
3.
Has your agency ever trained for a possible active shooter situation at a school?
4.
Are you attentive to sings in your traffic stops that subjects may be jittery, rigid, or
may even be attempting to divert you in any way?
5.
When you “eyeball” the inside of a vehicle, what are you looking for that could be
a red flag?
6.
When you have spotted such red flags in the past, have they paid off for you?
Discuss them.
7.
Do you feel there is legitimacy in Colonel Grossman’s concerns? Which of them
do YOU feel law enforcement should deal with first?
8.
Have you established links with schools and community groups and medical
providers that could someday prove invaluable in an emergency?
9.
For example, do school administrators, students of ANY age, and parents know
what to look for regarding suspicious behavior?
10.
How often, if at all, have you debriefed schools with any updates that may be
commonly helpful in an emergency?
11.
How could citizens be most useful to you in an emergency?
12.
Have you met with members of the media to brief them on your needs in such an
emergency?
13.
Do you agree with John Giduck’s input regarding:
- Not looking at a terrorist siege through a soda straw?
- Use of shotguns?
- Establishing perimeters?
- Crowd control?
- Positioning snipers and so forth?
Discuss each point Giduck made.
14.
Did you agree with Colonel Grossman when he said attacks on just a few US
schools could shut down the educational system and, effectively, the entire economy?
15.
If so, what do YOU propose to do about it?
EPILOG: (3:00)
After the school had been secured, Russian soldiers recovered:
- approximately 30 AK47 assault rifles
- AK74 assault rifles
- GP25 under-barrel grenade launchers
- Dragunov sniper rifles with 10-round magazines
- 3 Kalishnikov PKM machine guns
- 5 RPG 18 “Fly” anti-tank rocket launchers. These 64mm rockets are single use,
disposable weapons. Once armed by extending the arming tube they cannot be
repacked, and must be fired. They are capable of destroying 150mm armor up to
an angle of 60 degrees.
- 5 RPO-A Schmel (Bumble Bee) “fire throwers,” which are 93mm infantry-type
rocket launchers that fire a rocket containing a napalm-like liquid that ignites on
impact.
- 5 Makarov handguns
- MON-50 Directional anti-personnel mines, with a 50-meter range of focused
destruction. Many of these were used to detonate the homemade explosives
manufactured by the terrorists.
- F1 heavy hand grenades, designed for defensive purposes and to fortify
positions, as well as to set up ambushes for booby traps. They have a 200-meter
burst radius.
- RGD-5 light hand grenades. These are assault grenades with a 25-meter burst
radius, often used as booby traps.
- IED’s from handmade TNT, obtained by boiling cannon shells for the
explosive, then wrapping it in bolts, nails, screws, and other pieces of metal.
In retrospect, the simple plan of Russian elite forces with, of course, its many
ramifications, seems best and simplest:
Use negotiations to stabilize the situation
Use negotiations to delay and prepare an assault
Develop an assault plan
Practice the assault plan
Assault
Our most sincere thanks for Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and John Giduck for their help in
preparing this program. Again we urge all law enforcement to visit Colonel Grossmans
website: www.killology.com.
Because of the vastness and intricate detail in Mr. Giduck’s book Terror at Beslan, we
urge you to read, review and act on it. Mr. Giduck’s website: www.terroratbeslan.com.
Volume 11, Program 10
LESSON PLAN
Synopsis:
The 2004 siege by Chechen rebels of a Russian elementary school resulted in the deaths
of 323 hostages, including 156 children. Most law enforcement analysts agree that it is
not a matter of whether, but when it will happen in the US. We examine the preparations
to be taken in anticipation of such an event.
Time:
One hour.
Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, officers should be able to:
Obj. A:
Identify concerns faced by law enforcement in the event of an intruder assault on a school
and strategies to prepare for and respond to such an event
Obj. B:
Discuss ways to identify and prevent terrorist / intruder action
Obj. C:
Identify the roles of civilians in preparing for and responding to such an event
INSTRUCTOR’S NOTES / LAB GUIDE
Obj. A:
Identify concerns faced by law enforcement in the event of an intruder assault on a school
and strategies to prepare for and respond to such an event:
1.
The Chechen terrorists took time to plan and implement the assault
2.
Israeli schools have faced this reality for 30 years
3.
Cities long the US - Mexico border are at greatest risk
4.
Terror groups would likely target more than 1 school at a time
5.
Work with schools on lockdown drills
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Be mentally prepared to be the only officer on scene to engage shooter(s)
Be mentally prepared to “Come in like thunder”
Have extra ammunition and rifles
Work with medical responders, media and school leaders in advance
Train, train, train
Obj. B:
Discuss ways to identify and prevent terrorist / intruder action
1.
The armed gunman at Bailey High School “staked out” the school in advance
2.
Planned assaults can be averted by tenacious and motivated officers
3.
Traffic stops must be taken several steps further
Obj. C:
Identify the roles of civilians in preparing for and responding to such an event
1.
Work with schools in advance to practice intruder drills
2.
Consider permitting concealed-carry permit holders on school grounds
3.
Consider “deputizing” armed citizens to augment LE personnel
4.
Local media must know in advance what is expected of them and how their
decisions can influence a crisis
NAME ______________________________________ DATE VIEWED __________________________
Volume 11, Program 10
Test Questions
MULTIPLE CHOICE (best answer)
1.
A good example of how determined citizens can stop a greater threat is
A.
Bailey High School teachers who thought Morrison seemed out of place
B.
United Flight 93 passengers who tackled the hijackers
C.
TV reporters with live cameras on LE movements
D.
None of these
2.
Current Rapid Response training includes
A.
The first officer on scene remaining outside the facility waiting for tactical personnel
B.
The first responding officer engaging and stopping the intruder(s)
C.
Locking down classrooms to limit access to targets
D.
B and C are correct
3.
LE and citizens must be aware of and report
A.
Static and/or mobile surveillance of buildings
B.
People videotaping children or facilities
C.
People watching and/or asking questions about emergency planning
D.
All of these
4.
In addition to the team entering the building and engaging the shooter, agencies must plan for
A.
Creating hard inner and outer perimeters
B.
Controlling crowds and media access
C.
Using audio and video technology to monitor the intruders’ actions
D.
All of these