Local police ‘constantly evaluating’ response for mass shooting events

People who attended Batavia’s Windmill City Festival last weekend likely noticed additional security.

The department is “constantly evaluating” its approach to how it handles public safety at community events, said Deputy Chief Shawn Mazza of the Batavia Police Department.

“We’re constantly monitoring what’s going on, not just locally, but across the state,” he said. “We have investigators monitoring social media feeds. We’re looking for threats for our events, that way law enforcement is taking a more proactive approach to get ahead of any potential threat before it takes place.”

The Windmill City Festival happened just days after a gunman perched on a building in Highland Park opened fire on people attending the city’s Fourth of July Parade. Seven people were killed and more than three dozen other people were shot during the shooting.

Authorities said the alleged gunman, who later confessed to the shooting, then drove to Madison, Wisconsin, where he considered shooting more people. Police in Richmond, Virginia, on July 6 said they were able to stop a planned shooting there at a fireworks show thanks to a phone tip that led to the arrest of two men and the confiscation of multiple guns.

While the Kane County Sheriff’s Department and local police departments undergo routine training to prepare for mass shooting incidents such as the one at the Highland Park July 4 parade, local law enforcement agencies once again could be updating their procedures.

“We take every event case by case,” Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said. “We take a threat assessment, where we look at the size of an event, how many people, the location or route of the event, what are potential access points for terroristic activity, if there’s been a direct threat. If someone is identified, we look at their background or history.”

Brian Maduzia, deputy chief of patrol at the Geneva Police Department, said his department will be examining the way officers work to keep people safe at large community events. Strategies have changed over the years to match threats, Maduzia said, pointing to a switch from the use of wooden to cement barricades to close streets.

“In light of what happened [in Highland Park], we’ll rethink a lot of special events and how we utilize teams we have,” he said. “The shooter was in an elevated position, so maybe we’d need to have our own sniper in an elevated position. These are all things we’re working out on the fly now, trying to figure out how we can better secure our own festivals. That decision isn’t something we’ve discussed yet, in terms of staging [officers on top of buildings] during an event, but that’s something we’ll look at in the future.”

The St. Charles Police Department continually trains for active shooter situations, St. Charles Deputy Police Chief Erik Mahan said in an email.

“Unfortunately that type of training has had to evolve rapidly over recent years with the increased complexity of these tragic occurrences,” Mahan said. “Outdoor special events are important to St. Charles and security at those events is something we take very seriously.”

According to Mahan’s email, the department’s approach is centered on thorough planning and coordination.

“During an event, all personnel assigned have their primary responsibilities as well as a number of contingency responsibilities and assignments,” Mahan said. “Special events in St. Charles are ‘all hands on deck’ operations. They are primarily coordinated by our special services unit but regularly involve nearly all members of command, patrol, investigations as well as our non-sworn staff.”

The St. Charles Police Department also works with outside agencies, such as Kane County SWAT and Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System in certain situations, Mahan said. The department also shares information with federal and state agencies, he said.

While local police departments provide security for events in their towns, the sheriff’s department frequently provides additional support for an added layer of safety.

“When a town holds an event, we always have a tactical presence in the background for activation. In today’s age of active shooters and domestic terrorism, we want to be over-prepared. We never want an incident like [Highland Park] in our community. We don’t want to be caught off guard,” Hain said.

Aside from preparing security for specific events, law enforcement agencies around the county undergo training for active shooter situations.

Hain said sheriff’s deputies spend a week at an Army base in Wisconsin every year, where they train by simulating an active shooter situation.

“There’s always a risk for [a mass shooting] in any environment, so that’s why we put on active shooter courses for the public, that’s why we train deputies in active shooter response at least once a year,” he said. “We activated a tactical training unit, and our deputies go through de-escalation training and stress-induced firearms and self-defense courses. They train frequently, so their reactions will be much more precise and appropriate.”

In Batavia, Mazza said active shooter training is now “commonplace” for all law enforcement, which he thinks is something communities should expect. He said Batavia officers are trained to “neutralize” a threat as soon as possible.

“Our officers would be competent in what they’d need to do to handle a mass shooting situation,” he said. “We train with the fire department and medics because they all have to be on the same page when dealing with these cases. A lot of times you could be dealing with lots of casualties, and it’s important to understand the different roles [we] play in getting assistance to where it’s needed. What you’re trying to do is get to a threat before that threat can harm more people.”

Geneva officers also undergo annual active-shooter training, using SWAT team techniques to better prepare for such events.

“It all goes back to Columbine, that we had to rethink our tactics of staging and waiting because SWAT teams have a little lag time before they can get on scene,” Maduzia said. “Every officer has the responsibility of being trained and ready to go in and stop the threat. It seems like it can happen anywhere, and we’re prepared for any of these situations, and have been for years.”

But before a shooter opens fire, officials said that if someone sees something that could be suspicious or threatening, report it to police.

“We rely on our citizens for information. If you see something, say something,” Mazza said. “That’s important. The chances of something occurring are small, but there’s still a chance, so that’s why people should let us know if they think there’s a threat to safety. We want to know if there is a problem brewing so we can investigate.”