Letter to the Editor NYT

Letter to the Editor NYT (The New York Times)

Across America, during an Active Shooter Event (ASE), we teach our children to shelter in place. We lock school doors, post warning signs, and hope for the best. We post security at the main entrance and rely on deterrence alone. But in the wake of yet another tragic shooting, this time at 345 Park Avenue in New York City, we must face the truth: hope is not a strategy.

There is no universally accepted national standard for preventing active shooter events in the United States. In its absence, well-meaning individuals, organizations, and vendors have each developed their own plans and models. The result is a patchwork of inconsistent responses that vary not only from state to state, but often from one building to the next. When lives are at stake, inconsistency is unacceptable.

The recent shooting in New York was both tragic and preventable. Yes, deterrents like metal detectors and police presence were in place. But deterrents only work when the potential attacker fears being stopped, and they do nothing to prevent a person already committed to their act of violence. What is needed is a holistic prevention framework, applied before the moment of crisis, before the first shot is fired!

This is precisely what the Active Shooter Prevention Project, LLC® has built: the P.R.O. Model™ (Prevention. Response. Options.), a nationally recognized methodology already in use by many within the U.S. Department of Justice and beyond.

• Prevention means identifying and addressing early warning behaviors through behavioral threat assessments, risk evaluation, and environmental safety design. It focuses on detecting “leakage” statements, behaviors, or patterns indicating intent and intervening before an attack can materialize.

• Response means coordinated, practiced actions that integrate first responders, internal safety teams, and occupants. It is not reactive panic; it is trained, rehearsed decision-making that limits harm if prevention measures fail.

 

• Options mean empowering individuals and organizations with tailored, situational choices that fit their unique environments. It removes the one-size-fits-all mindset and provides scalable strategies for schools, workplaces, houses of worship, and public venues.

This model has already helped prevent three attempted mass shootings in workplaces across the United States. The success was not luck; it was the result of a comprehensive, integrated, and standardized approach.

The active shooter prevention industry generates over $4.4 billion annually, yet no unified baseline exists for what “safe” means. Without a national standard, we waste time, money, and lives on fragmented efforts. It is time to unify the strongest elements of all proven methods into one cohesive framework. Not a patchwork. A plan.

Let us honor the victims not just with thoughts and prayers, but with meaningful, measurable change that every parent, guardian, teacher, business leader, and elected official can stand behind. All it takes is one national leader to say: Enough is enough. Prevention must be the priority.

The Department of Justice already holds this blueprint, and now, it is time to scale it. To move the safety conversation out of closed boardrooms and into the hands of every American. We need to change the paradigm on how we address active shooter events by focusing on prevention first! A well-coordinated and planned response by first responders is necessary, but we need to stop these horrific acts of violence before the first shots are fired.

With deep respect for the victims, their families, and the safer future we must build together,

Chris Grollnek

Founding Principal and Chairman of the Board

Active Shooter Prevention Project, LLC.

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Greg Shaffer

Senior Principal and Chief Operations Officer

Active Shooter Prevention Project, LLC.