As posted on the PASS Training & Compliance blog on April 29, 2021
Muncie, IN- In a post-Columbine world, most police officers in the United States receive some sort of active shooter training while at the police academy. But our friend Jay Dotson thinks there is more we can do to save lives.As the head of security at Ball Memorial Hospital and a Muncie Police Officer, Jay began studying the data and cases surrounding active shooter situations to see how the police could improve their response to active threats. He found that a majority of the active shooter situations are over before the police arrive. With this in mind, he says the next step in saving lives is teaching the public what to do if they find themselves in that situation.
“We have done a good job training the police to respond to active shooters,” said Jay, “Now we need to be better about training potential victims.”
While businesses can do things to help prevent active shooter situations, like setting up physical barriers that will slow down the shooter or will convince them to pursue a less difficult target, the truth is individuals are more effective at preventing these situations.
In fact, most active shooter situations can be prevented by using risk assessment and preventative reporting, if the potential victims know what to look for. Most shooters will make little comments before acting, but the people around them assume they are joking or that they would never go through with it. If we can train members of the public to recognize escalating situations, they will be able to attempt to deescalate the situation before it gets worse. Again, most shootings can be avoided by situation recognition and preventative reporting.
There is a misconception that this sort of training is only helpful to places that are at high risk of violence like this. But places that are unlikely to see an active shooter benefit from this type of training too. Many people visit many different high risk locations in their day-to-day lives, even if they don’t work there. This information isn’t restricted to one location, our students can use this training anywhere. They can also take this information and share it with their family and friends, which will in turn help keep those people safe too. The more people who know how to identify risks and escalating situations, the more likely it is that shootings are stopped before they begin and lives can be saved.
These trainings aren’t meant to scare the student, just inform and prepare them. We hope our students never have to use what they learn in this training, but if that situation does occur, we want them to know what to do. Similar fire alarms, emergency weather drills, or “stop, drop, and roll,” the best way to protect people is to prepare them for the worst before it comes to pass.
Jay Dotson retired from the Muncie Police Department after 30 years of service. He also worked security at Ball Memorial Hospital for 30 years, spending the last decade of that time as the Chief of Security. He is a certified FBI hostage negotiator and an Indiana certified SWAT operator. He founded Fortress Preparedness Services in 2015.
As posted on the PASS Training Blog on March 30, 2022
Our hearts go out to those devastated by the events currently happening in Ukraine. As the world watches this humanitarian crisis unfold, it’s natural to want to help in some way. But it can be difficult to know where to start. We feel the same way here at PASS, so we have compiled a list of ways you can help.
Right now, the most helpful thing you can do is donate money. While donating supplies is undoubtedly helpful, it takes time for this aid to travel from the US to Ukraine and into the hands of the people who need them. By donating money, you put immediate funding directly into the hands of charitable organizations already on the ground. These organizations already know what they need, so monetary donations allow them to buy the exact supplies they need quickly efficiently, and without delay.
Direct Relief:
Direct relief is ranked number one of the top ten best charities by Charity Navigator. They pride themselves on transparency, accountability, and providing help that helps and involves the people they serve. Direct Relief also allows donors to choose what project their money is used on. In Ukraine, Direct Relief is currently working with the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to provide medical aid, like oxygen concentrators, insulin supplies, and critical care medications to the region while also preparing to offer longer-term assistance to people displaced by the war. They are providing aid for people still stuck in Ukraine and people who have fled the conflict to neighboring countries. They have also sent hundreds of emergency medical backpacks to assist Ukrainian first responders in the field. They are also preparing to help with a number of problems that will follow this humanitarian crisis, including the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and tuberculosis, a lack of chronic care medications people need to survive, and maternal health care. Website - Charity Rating
Global Giving:
Global Giving is a global crowdfunding community that connects vetted nonprofits and community-led organizations to donors worldwide. This charity provides funds to community-led organizations that are best suited to provide aid and encourage long-term growth and recovery. They focus on helping other nonprofits get the supplies they need as quickly as possible. Essentially, in times of crisis when other charities, nonprofits, and community organizations are in danger of being overwhelmed, Global Giving steps in and helps support them with funding, training, tools, and much-needed supplies. They are using donations to provide shelter, food, clean water, psychosocial support, and economic assistance to those affected. Website - Charity Rating
UNICEF:
UNICEF has been working to protect vulnerable children worldwide and provide them with essentials for 75 years. Their global operations focus on saving children’s lives, defending their rights, and helping them reach their full potential. UNICEF has been on the ground in Ukraine since 2014 to address the effects of the pre-existing armed conflict on children in the eastern region. They have significantly scaled up operations since the war broke out in late February. UNICEF is working to provide refugees and impacted families with essential services including health, safety, water, sanitation, and life-saving supplies. They are also rushing in surgical and midwifery kits to health facilities where women have been giving birth in makeshift bunkers since the war began. Website - Charity rating
International Rescue Committee:
The American branch of the International Rescue Committee was founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein to help German refugees fleeing from Nazi Germany. They now work in over 40 countries worldwide to help people survive, recover, and rebuild their lives after a humanitarian disaster. They are currently helping in Ukraine by supporting evacuation efforts, delivering much-needed supplies such as groceries and warm clothes, and helping provide information on employment and housing to new refugees. They are also supporting health teams operating at the Poland border and in refugee reception centers, offering legal assistance, and providing psychosocial support and translation services. Website - Charity rating
Doctors Without Borders:
Doctors Without Borders work to provide medical care to vulnerable people, including victims of natural disasters, conflict, and war. They send doctors, nurses, and other staff to the scene of disasters and provide quality emergency healthcare for free to people in crisis. They are driven by the belief that “all people should have access to high-quality health care, regardless of gender, race, religion, creed, or political affiliation.” Doctors Without Borders have had an established presence in Ukraine since 2014, so their volunteers were the first on the scene when this humanitarian disaster began. They are also delivering urgent medical supplies and training hospital staff to manage mass casualty events. Over 4,200 cubic feet of medical supplies have already been delivered to Ukraine so far. Website - Charity Rating
ShelterBox USA:
Disasters cost millions of people their homes every year. ShelterBox addresses this aspect of a humanitarian crisis by providing emergency shelter and essential household supplies to those in need. They have provided life-saving aid to more than 2 million people. They are working with government representatives, other humanitarian organizations, and local communities to help support Ukrainians in their time of need. Website - Charity Rating
If you are looking for a way to help without making a financial donation, charities such as Nova Ukraine and Meest-America are accepting basic supplies at several locations.
Here is a collection of some of my design focused work. I have experience in Adobe Creative Suite, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
During my senior year I did a semester long project on the local historical society in Muncie, Indiana. I used multiple forms of digital media and used them to enhance my story in ways traditional media could not.
Through this project, I learned how to use 360 degree cameras for video and photography and refined my html skills to build a website specifically for that story. It can be found here.
The theatres behind the mastheads in Tribune Showprint have interesting histories. There is no shortage of fires, tragedies, scandals, and success stories, but there is also an abundance of strikingly odd details that have somehow stood the test of time.
For example, the Tivoli theatre in Spencer, IN was recently restored in 2013. The auditorium was designed to resemble a Spanish garden, including the addition of "twinkling stars" on the midnight blue ceiling. According to the theatre's website, the stars are arranged in "a detailed constellation pattern matching the star alignment just as it would’ve appeared over Spencer at 9:00 p.m. on December 31, 1928," the day the theatre opened.
The Hines Theatre in Portland, IN had talents such as Harry Houdini and Chico Marx. On July 23, 1983, after a showing of "the Twilight Zone," the theatre caught fire and burned to the ground. The fire killed a projectionist who had been working at the Hines for most of the theatres history. The theatre was 98 years old when it burned down.
The Strand Theatre in South Bend, IN began showing risque adult films in 70's in an attempt to stay in business, the Viking theatre in Appleton, WI ran Star Wars for nearly 6 months straight in 1977, and the Egyptian theatre in DeKalb, IL is rumored to be haunted.
However, the most moving story I have found over the course my research was actually about an employee. In 1954 Irwin Stephan moved to Delavan, WI with his wife and four kids for his new job as the manager of the Delavan Theatre. A few weeks after moving, on January 14, 1955, his car collided with a freight train and Stephan was killed.
A bare table framed
by two lonely chairs dominate the impeccably clean kitchen. The walls are bare,
no art or photographs, just the off-white painted cinderblocks common to
student housing. A large potted Aspidistra sits on a modest desk beneath the
front window, a drawing of Joy from the movie “Inside Out” is taped to the pot,
occasionally fluttering in the gentle breeze
The windows are
open, allowing gusts of fresh air to meander through the small apartment and
dance out the back door like a visitor just passing through.
A large
comfortable couch stands guard over the living room, its back pressed up
against the side of the staircase. Instead of a TV, there is a framed picture
of a forest, a scene both mystical and deeply familiar. Sunlight dances through
the green leaves and onto what looks like a paved road that’s winding its way
through the woods.
Jeremy and his
roommate, Michelle, face each other over a small wooden table in the heart of
their living room.
Michelle perches
on her computer chair like a bird, focused on the worn wooden checker board that
barely fits on the small table in front of her. Across from her Jeremy sits
cross-legged on the grey carpet. His head bops to the beat of the music he is
streaming from his phone into his hearing aid via Bluetooth. He watches and waits
for Michelle to move one of her bottle caps, considers his options and then
makes a move of his own.
Between
them is a chessboard, unpolished and made of a rough wood. The words “Bottle
Cap Checkers” are engraved into the top and bottom of the board and hand painted
black. The squares were likely a solid black at one point, but years of
passionate game play has caused the wood to chip and the paint to wear away.
Beer bottle caps
are used as a substitute for chess pieces. Jeremy uses Strongbow Cider caps as
bishops and Heineken caps as pawns. Michelle moves her Rolling Rock cap-turned-knight
to protect her Corona Extra King. Many of the caps are dented. One of Jeremy’s
rooks, a green Michigan Wisconsin Craft Beer cap, is so badly bent that half of
the cap lifts off of the rough surface of the board.
They play in
silence, only the occasional joke or declaration of “check” breaking the
silence between them. Otherwise they are quiet, usually they use sign language,
raising a “c” handshape to the other, letting them know the game is one step
closer to being completed. The game nearly ends in a stalemate. Instead, it
ends with Michelle playfully flipping the board in exaggerated frustration after
she made a game ending mistake.
