Active Shooter

An active shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area, typically through the use of firearms.

When an Active Shooter Is in Your Vicinity

• Evacuate: Have an escape route and plan in mind, leave your belongings behind, keep your hands visible.
• Hide Out: Hide in an area out of the shooter’s view, block entry to your hiding place and lock the doors, silence your cell phone and/or pager.
• Take Action: As a last resort and only when your life is in imminent danger, attempt to incapacitate the shooter, act with physical aggression and throw items at the active shooter.

To learn more about how to respond in the event of an active shooter on campus, please review one of these training videos:

• Shots fired on campus
• Shots fired on campus (same as above, with captioning)

Before watching either video you will be required to log in with your Whitman user name and password.

How to Respond When Law Enforcement Arrives

• Remain calm and follow instructions.
• Put down any items in your hands (i.e.,bags, jackets).
• Raise hands and spread fingers.
• Keep hands visible at all times.
• Avoid quick movements toward officers such as holding on to them for safety.
• Avoid pointing, screaming or yelling.
• Do not stop to ask officers for help or directions when evacuating.

Information You Should Provide to Law Enforcement or 911 Operators

• Location of the active shooter.
• Number of shooters.
• Physical description of shooters.
• Number and type of weapons held by shooters.
• Number of potential victims at the location.