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chris-grollnek-active-shooter-expertActive Shooter and Domestic Terrorism events have profoundly affected communities across our nation for over 100 years. The tragic consequences can be felt in places we never imagined. Since 2007, I have been developing programs for law enforcement agencies and began with one where I was a sworn officer just months before the Virginia Tech massacre occurred.

After the Columbine school shooting in 1999, I gleaned quickly that law enforcement would have to forever change their tactics. I focused on how the agency could begin to address the tenets of how officers ought to respond. In 2009, insider threats like Ft. Hood demonstrated that our planning and policies must be updated for the unthinkable.

By the summer of 2010, our department had become a centerpiece for the national media. On a fateful day in August 2010 an active shooter arrived at 2200 Taylor Burke McKinney Police Department Headquarters and fired 168 rounds while attempting to detonate a truck filled with ammonium nitrate. As I arrived, and the situation was at its mid-point, there were plans and procedures we simply fell short of executing. Thankfully, not one person, other than the assailant, died that day. Following this personal event, we would go on to debrief the incident to understand everything we thought we knew to realize where we were falling short.

This one event changed the trajectory of my post-graduate degree. In 2012 I became one of four people in the country to graduate with a master’s degree in the phenomenon of active shooters and have the unique experience of being involved in one in real-time. The mission to go forth following the alignment of tragedy and education would become the groundwork for what would grow into the Active Shooter Prevention Project, LLC.

My vision has been and continues to be building out a national network of elite experts from all pertinent areas of the domestic terrorism phenomenon. Every professional has been hand-picked to represent one specific dimension. Understanding that each active shooter event represents four separate corners, we chose to seek out experts from each in order to find the most appropriate solution with the best outcome we could hope for – ultimately the prevention of an attack. However, when prevention fails, we have purpose-built the most appropriate response and options that will limit injury and the loss of life.

As a thought leader and a leading event analyst, my role in the national conversation continued to grow to where it is today. Along with the assistance of the ASPP team, I have developed a plan to make locations near active shooter-proof. These methodologies are as easy to understand as Stop, Drop, and Roll, a methodology that has proven to eliminate the loss of life for over 65 years. A location may still burn, but the people inside know exactly what to do.

Today, I find myself in pursuit of excellence to solve these devastating events with the understanding that there isn’t a one size fits all solution. My efforts thus far have resulted in a cohort with over 500 years of collective experience. Together we deepen our breadth of leadership and insight toward a safer nation. It is my honor to lead this world-class group of crusaders and to continue to serve the US government and the nation.

As I move into this new leadership role as Managing Partner of Active Shooter Prevention Project, LLC, I take my years of front-line experience as a guide and reminder of the tremendous work in action by the ASPP team. There is much to be done as we begin to work toward this National Standard for the Prevention of Active Shooter and Domestic Terrorism Events. United in our vision, ASPP is privileged to lead this new effort to thwart potential active shooters and domestic terrorists before they can carry out an event.

This work took on even more urgency because of the tragic events of this past year. I have made it my personal responsibility to ensure that the public is ready and able to effectively thwart and/or confront an active shooter or domestic terrorism event. My team is prepared to provide your school, house of worship, or place of business with the fundamental tools, training, and technologies to do just that. We help you prepare in order that you may learn, work, worship, and live without worry.

At ASPP, we seek solidarity as we strive to address this nation’s most destabilizing endemic. As a team, we continue to commit ourselves to making ASPP the kind of organization that will bring new knowledge and improve the quality of life for generations to come. I am grateful to walk this path alongside my prestigious colleagues.

ASPP’s mission is strong and compelling, and our many members are making a real difference. I encourage you to spend some time on our website to explore our services and offerings, read about our collective achievements, and learn more about the P.R.O. way forward.

I am proud to announce that the Office of Attorney General of the United States has retained ASPP for their new two-year training initiative for all Department of Justice personnel.

Blessings,

Chris Grollnek, Active Shooter Expert
Active Shooter Prevention Project, (ASPP) LLC
P.R.O. Model – Prevention. Response. Options.

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