Police instructor trains Dayton City on active‑threat response and de‑escalation

Robert Bullock, a police officer and active‑shooter instructor (agency not specified), led a training at the March 11 Dayton City work session focused on active‑threat preparedness and de‑escalation for city officials and staff. The session covered a three‑option survival model — get out, actively barricade, act with aggression as a last resort — along with mental rehearsals, improvised weapons, and techniques to de‑escalate an agitated person.

Bullock said the frequency of active‑threat incidents has risen and stressed planning and practice so people will not “freeze” in a crisis. “The best way not to get shot in an active shooter situation is to get out,” he told the room, urging audience members to identify multiple exit options and to rehearse them mentally and, where practicable, physically.

The training laid out the multi‑option response the instructor teaches: first, locate and use exit routes beyond the obvious main entrance; second, if escape is impossible, create an active barricade to slow or deter an attacker; third, if breached, use improvised weapons and coordinated, aggressive…