Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

As a law enforcement officer, you never know when the eyes of the world will be upon you.

One minute you’re working overtime at a country concert; the next minute you’re entrenched in the deadliest mass shooting in United States history. 

A similar scenario happened to a group of officers in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13th, 2024.

There have been 45 political rallies for former President Donald Trump during this election season.  44 of them came and went without any major incidents. 

Number 45 was different. 

The event quickly changed from another routine rally to a pivotal event in United States History. 

It is far too early to judge the actions of the local police officers that responded to the attempted assassination of former President Trump.  There must be a detailed critical incident review that involves a thorough investigation of the scene, witness interviews, officer interviews, and video reviews to detail exactly what occurred.  The reporting of the events of that day continues to change rapidly, so it is unfair to critique the actions of an individual officer at this point. 

What does appear to be lacking during this rally is effective planning and preparation for any critical incidents that could occur during the event.  

Let’s discuss the steps for planning a major event like a political rally, and how an agency can prepare their teams for a successful response and aftermath.

During my career I worked and planned countless major events, including rallies like the one that took place on July 13th.  Planning is the first step to ensure a successful response. 

Once an agency is notified of an upcoming event, the leaders that will be responsible for its management must start planning so they can be prepared to make decisions quickly and accurately once the event begins.   

So what are some key fundamentals for planning a large scale event?

• Visit the site where the event will take place to identify any environmental concerns.

• Communicate the details of what will take place with all stakeholders for the event.  This includes any private businesses involved or affected by the event, medical personnel, fire departments, local county or city personnel, and federal agencies involved.

• Identify the means of communication during the event.

• Identify the location of a command post that has ample room for a representative from every agency that has a role in the coordination and execution of the event.  This command post must be close enough to control operations, but not within the area of operation. 

• Document the operation, and everyone that will be on scene including their location, on an incident action plan. 

• Conduct a tabletop with every stakeholder prior to the event in a controlled environment.  Tabletops are vital to not only prepare for a critical incident that may occur, but also to introduce the people that will be working together for a successful outcome prior to the event occurring. 

• Identify and document a medical plan in case of a mass casualty event.

• Review intelligence gathering and threat assessments for the event to identify any potential bad actors. 

• Brief all personnel of the plan as well as the responsibilities of everyone involved. Everyone must be clear on their roles.

The last, and arguably most crucial, element is a post incident debrief. 

After the event, identifying what worked and what didn’t will strengthen any future planning or response that may occur within your jurisdiction.  This is also the time to identify which officers may need mental health resources to start the healing process and ensure that lasting damage to the workforce doesn’t occur. 

If a critical incident does occur during the event, officers must be prepared for the intense emotions that they will feel so they don’t inhibit their response. 

They will feel overwhelmed at times, scared, and anxious due to the dynamic and rapidly evolving scene unfolding in front of them. 

Training emotional resilience and mental preparedness prior to an event will pay dividends during their response to an emotionally charged incident.

 Everyone has heard the phrase “practice makes perfect.”  An old school police leader I worked with disagreed.

He would say, “perfect practice makes perfect”.

Going through the motions isn’t enough. Police leaders must put as much energy into the planning and preparation of an event as they do the execution of the event.

Bitsko Consulting is the leader in resilience and critical incident training for police departments.  We provide the tools and training to overcome the emotions felt during the most intense critical incidents your officers can face.   

We also plan, create, and conduct tabletop exercises to prepare for major events where failure is not an option. 

Contact us for help in the planning of a major event, or to help build resiliency in your officers before and/or after their involvement in a critical incident.