Preparing for the Unthinkable

"Cop assisted suicide" - I have never heard that expression before and now I have heard it twice in one week. The first time I heard it was when the New Brunswick Detective was preparing us for an active shooter drill. Kevin Sullivan partnered with the New Brunswick Police Department to perform a simulation of a person entering our hospital that was armed and was shooting randomly. The police said the profile on these individuals is that they are looking to be killed in the middle of such a horrific act of them randomly killing people – hence the table “cop assisted suicide.” We took the drill very seriously and the staff did a magnificent job protecting our children and each other. When the code was called, staff responded very quickly and there was absolute silence on the floor as we waited for the code clear to be called. The police warned us that it could take hours for an all clear to be called because they would have to not only track down and neutralize the shooter, but also make sure there was only one shooter and not a group. As I woke this morning and heard the announcement that the Garden State Plaza was on lock down and they were searching for a shooter, I was immediately taken back to being on the second floor in New Brunswick, gathered in the eerie silence as we were waiting for the code clear to be called. The lock down in the mall began at 9:30 p.m. and by 3 a.m. all mall-goers were still locked inside. In writing this, we now know that the shooter took his own life and that there were no other injuries, while the police said he clearly had several opportunities to injure many more people. As I write this, the emotions I have are many. I am comforted knowing that we successfully completed the drill and we are better prepared than we were the week before. I am disheartened that the only way that this young man saw his way through whatever tortured him, is to cause this kind of panic and to ultimately take his own life. And then lastly my deep sadness over the night of fear and torment the people who were locked down and the families who waited for them must have felt. We must continue to prepare for those situations we pray will never happen. We also need to work to provide treatment for those who find themselves unable to find the words to ease their pain instead of resorting to violent acts of terror. If you feel compelled to share your comments, please do so. Any comments about participating in the drill; any feelings you have after hearing the news of the mall shooting – this blog is meant to be an open dialog and platform for sharing.