Here are some more thoughts on how we can be prepared for, and thereby prevent, an attack like what the Chechens pulled off in Beslan; a massacre they will try to duplicate here with far deadlier results.
While buses would be a smaller, perhaps less attractive target than an entire school, buses make great soft targets for any sort of bad-guy. Indicators that a school bus may have been hijacked may include
- Distress signals written in window fog or on paper placed up against the window
- Silent, still, seated children (some of them apparently crying?) while an adult, in addition to the driver, stands or sits in the bus watching them, perhaps speaking to them harshly.
- Is the school bus driver or adult passenger wearing a green, red, black, or yellow headband with foreign language words printed on it?
- Do you see the ends of weapons barrels just above the window frames? This is called flagging.
- Is there blood visible anywhere on the exterior of the bus, but especially by the front and rear doors?
- Is there blood visible on the inside of any windows?
- Does there appear to be a vehicle that is moving in tandem with the bus, possibly as a counter-recon or reaction vehicle?
- Are coats covering windows, blocking view into the bus?
- I think it would be best if there were laws dictating that no school bus in this country may have tinted windows.
Sometimes buses break down, but figure the statistical likelihood of one breaking down on a highway overpass. Those are busy areas and a driver would probably try to stop the bus in a less dangerous stretch of roadway, if there was a problem. An overpass with cloverleaf on/off ramps is perfect for a hostage takeover. Terrorists can see and control all the approach points. So if you ever see a school bus ‘broken down’ with kids in it on a highway overpass, it would be a great idea for you to call the police immediately and let them know what you see. Hang around until the cops get there and be watching for adults getting on/off the bus, the demeanor of the children, etc. Let the cops know what you've seen.
Some terrorists were mixed in with the crowd at School #1 in Beslan that day, which was a Russian holiday, 1 September. Since we know they’re going to do it, look for at least recon at school events to which the entire community can come without stirring suspicion; such as indoor sporting events, seasonal concerts, and plays.
Outdoor sporting events make it harder for terrorists to grab hostages and get them to somewhere they can be controlled. While chemical agents (gas) might be used effectively against an outdoor crowd, the results are too unpredictable ~ too many variables: wind, rain, etc. If the bad guys do an outdoor attack, it would most likely be a drive-by shooting, with multiple shooters; or with a homicide bomber in the stands and another in the parking lot to be detonated when the crowd runs for their cars.
What to do? Head calmly for cover away from the parking lot. Stay low, be prepared to drop. If you drop, be sure to do it with your feet pointed in the direction from which a secondary IED may be detonated.
Depending on the size of the venue, graduation ceremonies may be less likely targets for hostage-taking. Small schools which have their ceremonies at the school itself may be higher on the hostage-taking list because of the lower number of people at the event. Large schools which usually have their ceremonies at public auditoriums such as sports arenas would more likely be target of an attack such as in Bali. An explosion inside the event center would drive attendees out the exit doors. There, additional bombs could be detonated a/o shooters blaze away. A hostage scenario is less likely because there may be too many hostages for terrorists to handle.
At Beslan, a little girl saw a ‘suspicious truck’ pull up, then people started getting out of the back. Was it suspicious because people started getting out of it or for some other reason? Only she knows. But what makes a truck suspicious?
- They may ride low in the rear because of being loaded with people a/o equipment.
- Weapons or parts of weapons may be visible from outside the vehicle ~ flagging.
- People may peek out from places they were hiding in the vehicle, to see if they're in attack position yet.
- Maybe a few guys show up in a truck and say they’re there to take a look at the leaking roof but the truck they’re in has no signage on it telling you it’s a commercial vehicle.
- By law, the vehicle is required to be marked in English. Is it?
- Maybe trucks show up with a dozen people and a batch of ladders and a hammer. A hasty but polite query indicates nobody requested any work requiring that many people and ladders ... and just one hammer. That’s suspicious, seems to me.
- There is a posted speed limit on school grounds. If something in the vehicle speed, direction of travel, a/o manner of approach is out of the ordinary, take a closer look without endangering yourself and call the cops right away if trouble seems to be approaching.
- Like the bus drivers mentioned above, what are the occupants and drivers of these vehicles wearing? Is it something that could be ‘religious headgear’ like bandanas?
- Vehicles left running outside schools, w/o drivers a/o passengers, are suspicious as well.
In a crisis situation, volunteers can really make a difference. But don’t show up like the bystanders at Beslan. If you’ve got a gun, you’d better have proper licensing for it if you decide to bring it with you for some reason. That's a real tough decision you have to make there. Be prepared to defend yourself in court if you screw up. Cops will have enough to do so do not add to their tasks by making them arrest you. Or shoot you.
Terrorists may rent lodging a/o storage close to the attack site in order to expedite delivery a/o emplacement of weapons a/o people. They may rent apartments/homes with good sniper angles to the school or avenues approaching/leaving the school. Or, rather than rent, they may just take over a dwelling. So, if a guy with a rifle busts into the home or apartment next to you and that home or apartment overlooks the cute little grade school across the street, you should probably call the cops right away, hmmm?
Terrorists may shoot pedestrians a/o motorists along the way to the school just to add to the carnage; to draw out the crime scene and to slow down arrival/attrit responding police and other ES. Slow-down allows them more time to set-up, more time to get control of hostages. So, if you're seeing shooters in vehicles taking out pedestrians and other drivers, think. Ask yourself what school might be up ahead there, the direction the shooters are traveling. Call 911 and get that info to cops on the street ASAP.
More than a week before the attack, intel said some school in Beslan would be hit. Three days prior to the attack, families living in Beslan who shared common religious beliefs and practices with the terrorists, just disappeared. They took their belongings with them and left town. Why? Their Chechyan connections who lived in the area told them an attack was coming. So, does your kid notice there are several/many kids of a certain ethnic group suddenly not at school one morning? If so, it might be a good idea for him to call you and let you make an educated decision about his attendance, at least for that day.
On a danger spectrum, terrorists with concealed faces may be less dangerous than those not concealed. Terrorists not masked aren’t worried if you can identify them later. Why? Probably because they know, one way or another, they won’t be leaving there alive. A masked terrorist may believe the entire set-up is to take hostages and negotiate for something so he wants to be able to get away and not be recognized later. If talking to any of the terrorists is ever a good idea; and it's probably not, the masked ones are most likely your safer bet.
If you’re in the crowd around a school crisis scenario, be looking for suspicious people who may be terrorist spotters, etc., in addition to looking for bombs and suspicious vehicles. Discreetly report these people to police. If immediate action is necessary, be prepared tactically, legally, emotionally.
I did some research and discovered that Washington State clearly shows lockdown as the default response to any ‘intruder.' What does your state proscribe? You need to know so find out and get back to me on that. As I wrote earlier and as others recommend, lockdown cannot be the default response to active shooters. If it's clear that there is one unarmed person/intruder, then lockdown is probably best. But if this 'intruder' is not alone and is armed and an exit is close by, I'm out the door running for cover with everyone I can convince to follow me in hot pursuit.
But it'll never happen here. Forget what I said.
Comments