School safety has been a hot topic in the United States due to the recent rise in school shootings. Many schools are now looking to improve their safety plans by using lockdown and active shooter drills. What happens if an active shooter drill goes horribly sour? Staff members are traumatized and an “instructor” is arrested.
The Active Shooter Drill That Shouldn’t Have Been
Safety drills are designed to save lives and not create traumatizing environments. However, the May 19, 2022 drill did the former and caused so much chaos that many employees have not returned to work since then.
John Channels was hired by Carrie Walter, Catholic Charities’ compliance coordinator, and Mike Welna (Director of Security at Catholic Charities), to conduct the drill. After a security officer suggested that Channels be hired to conduct the drill, the building’s security officer recommended this decision.
According to court documents Channels stated that he was a Federal Police Officer at Offutt Air Force Base. He also assured them that he had participated in other active shooter drills. He also assured them that law enforcement officers would participate in the exercise. Walter and Welna accepted the $2,500 fee.
Walter and Welna agreed to Channels’ request that they not inform staff about the drill. They wanted as much realistic as possible. He wanted them to feel in real danger. That was when the shooting began.
According to the Omaha World-Herald, “Walter stated that Channels intended to begin by shooting victims outside the office windows and doors for employees to see, then make his way through building (with keys provided to staff) in an attempt to cause employees to flee the building or hide. “Walter stated that Channels explicitly stated that he didn’t want Catholic Charities staff to know that the scenario was a drill and that he wanted them to feel in danger.
It worked. Staff were terrified and believed that their co-workers were dead outside.
What could possibly go wrong?
This is not the best way to check an organization’s lockdown procedures in these times of rising gun violence and mass shootings. This is a great way for your organization to find out who has a weak heart. This is a great way to find out who carries a concealed firearm.
Staff reacted in the same way you would expect: they panicked during the incident. One staff member managed to make it three blocks to a fast food restaurant before she checked in. She tried to jump into a trash can to hide, but this was only after she had made it three blocks to a fast-food restaurant. She missed the garbage can and landed on the ground near it. She then curled up in fetal position. She got up and ran again.
Others recall running as fast as they could to avoid being shot. One staff member in her 60s believed she would die from running too fast.
Channels did Channels consider a police response, despite the staff reaction?
Omaha World-Herald reports that “employees weren’t the only ones in the dark.” Authorities claim they were not notified about the drill. Dispatchers didn’t know that several 911 calls from an active shooter were part a scheme. The Omaha police officers who arrived on the scene had no idea what was happening. One Omaha officer was holding his gun and approaching his co-workers. He wasn’t sure who the shooter was.”
Following the drill, Omaha Catholic Charities Executive director Denise Bartels released a statement about the incident.
ABC News reports that Bartels stated that Channels didn’t follow agreed upon procedures or communicated properly with police. Bartels stated that he deeply regretted following his recommendations and choosing him for training. He also said that mental health support continues to be offered to staff members.
The Aftermath
I can only imagine that this was his idea of threat assessment. This threat assessment plan is not shared by any sane person. He didn’t do this drill in an elementary school where students and staff were present.
He will not be able to do this again for a while, but it will be long enough that people will remember his name.
KETV 7 Omaha reports that John Channels, 27, was taken into police custody on five counts of terroristic threats as well as one count of using a deadly weapon to commit a felony.
Channels was also out on bond at that time, in addition to these charges. According to reports, he was also charged in a separate case for sexual assault of a minor and possessing child pornography. It will likely be a long time before Channels is seen again, so I feel that this is a good sign. One can at least hope.
Two weeks later, Omaha police issued an emergency statement asking churches and businesses to notify them about the incident before they conduct any live training.
I also want to add that you should do your research before hiring someone for an exercise such as an active shooter drill. Ask for references and contact them if they claim to have done this before. Call your local authorities to verify that they claim to be in law enforcement. You can call the authorities to check them out anyway. It may save you from unnecessary trauma.
It’s okay to trust people, but it’s even better to verify.
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