WASHINGTON — Sunday night on “60 Minutes,” Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier said it’s unrealistic to think police will make it to an active shooter situation in time to save lives, so victims will have to prepare to “run, hide or fight.”
In most mass shootings, Lanier told Anderson Cooper, the deaths happen within the first 10 minutes, while even the fastest police response will take 5 to 7 minutes.
If you can get out, Lanier says, “that’s your first option. … If you’re in a position to try and take the gunman down, to take the gunman out, it’s the best option for saving lives before police can get there,” she said.
She added, “People say, ‘what is it that keeps you awake at night?’ It’s not the things that we train for and that we know about; it’s the one thing that we haven’t yet thought about.”
Lanier said this is radically different from what police have often told people. But after a series of tragic domestic attacks — including the 2013 murders at the D.C. Navy Yard — it is clear that merely calling 911 and waiting for a response isn’t enough.
“The fact is, most active shooters kill their victims in less than 10 minutes,” she said. “It’s a different scenario.”
Watch the full segment here:
