My Biggest Tactical Mistake: How Training Can Affect Decision-Making

I made a tactical mistake during the 1-October mass shooting in Las Vegas, and I’ve regretted it ever since.

I knew many people were dead, but I forced that thought from my mind. We had a job to do, and dwelling on the carnage would only slow us down.

My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I tried to steady myself for the breach—and that’s when Loki, my police dog, finally crossed my mind.

Earlier that evening, as I strapped on my SWAT gear to head up to the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay during the Route 91 mass shooting in 2017, my fellow K9 handler asked, “Should we bring a dog?”

I remember my response as if it were yesterday:

“We’re going to kill this guy, not bite him.”

That decision was a tactical mistake I’ve regretted ever since. The suspect was barricaded in a room, firing down into the crowd of concertgoers. When we breached the door, a police K9 like Loki would have been invaluable—but I’d left him in the car.

I’ve reflected on that choice many times. Why did I leave him behind? It all comes down to training and mindset.

For years, I’ve taught K9 handlers to balance risk versus reward before deploying a dog in an active‑shooter scenario. Bringing a patrol dog into a panicked crowd raises the risk of accidental bites and can hamper the handler’s ability to use a firearm. In most cases, the chance of actually needing the dog to bite the suspect is so small that it isn’t worth it.

But sometimes the stakes change. When a suspect is barricaded in a room and firing into a crowd, sending a dog through a breach can be ideal. In that moment at Mandalay Bay, everything felt like a classic active‑shooter situation—so I reverted to my training (“never bring a K9 to an active shooter”) and left Loki behind.

But this wasn’t a classic active-shooter situation. It was a barricaded sniper where the only natural ending would be officers making entry into a room to neutralize the suspect.

So how can we train differently to prepare officers for similar high‑stakes situations? My mistake was that I wasn’t able to critically think at the onset. Here are two key tactics for a more adaptive tactical response:

• Train for critical thinking, not fixed scenarios

  Rather than repeating scripted drills, give officers open‑ended training scenarios that force them to think.  Scenario‑based training builds familiarity with common incidents, but only critical‑thinking challenges develop the adaptability needed when suspects spend months planning and officers must respond in seconds.

  
  

• Conduct structured debriefs

  When you do have a critical incident, ensure everyone involved participates in a tactical debrief. This is an opportunity for everyone to not only get better but learn from others’ experiences and mistakes.  I wrote a blog post how police can learn from elite military units where I talk about debriefs. Read it here.

  
  

These two tactics are just the beginning of how an agency can train its people to think critically under stress. Mindset also plays a crucial role in maintaining clarity during high‑pressure situations. In my online Police Resiliency and Critical Incident Mindset class, I share actionable strategies that first responders can use to cultivate the right mindset for a successful response. You can learn more here.

That night, I made a critical mistake by leaving behind the one tool we needed. I’m grateful that my error didn’t lead to further loss of life.  I am also grateful that I was able to learn from my mistakes, and now have the platform to teach other officers around the country.