The Active shooter crisis in the United States has continued being problematic, with significant concerns falling on the response time of enforcement officers to crisis. It is reported that the time lag of active shooter incidence occurring and the police response to the incidence is approximately 5 minutes (Sikes et al., 2018). Reducing this time lag is instrumental to reducing harm or even death to the affected, and most policies and crisis intervention strategies align with this concept. According to Kellom and Nubani (2018), Law enforcement officers can reduce active shooter situation response time through interventions like early preparation through understanding architectural features of buildings by law enforcement officers. Sikes and colleagues (2018) emphasize simulation training of officers to help them quickly coordinate efforts and communicate during active shooter events. All these recommendations involve the physical preparation of the officers with less consideration of the spiritual aspect.
This paper gives detailed differentiation of secular and biblical views concerning reducing active shooter response time by law enforcement officers. It also discusses how the biblical view impacts the response time of law enforcement officers. Biblical worldview involves a framework of beliefs and ideas used by Christians and uses God as the supreme being and his word (the Bible) as the law of life. On the other hand, the secular worldview uses man as the central measure and is responsible for developing truths, values, and beliefs. Secular worldview focuses on the natural world and the materialistic aspect of life in developing beliefs and guidelines to live by without including any supreme being.
A secular worldview indicates active shooters as individuals who may be psychologically ill, hence the shootings. People opt for this when their mental health is not regularly checked and restored. However, the Biblical worldview considers these people as being driven by the devil and most probably require intense prayers to drive out the demons or other spirits that may be affecting their judgment. Demonic possession is heavily stated in the Bible (Mark 5:1-10), and one great scenario was a man that Jesus healed from demonic possession in Gerasenes. The person is indicated to have been living in the tombs and constantly breaking shackles and chains that he would be bound with, cutting himself, and crying (New International Version, 2011). Secular worldview proposes a solution to reducing the response time as proper communication, efficient coordination, and training of law enforcement officers. However, the biblical worldview encompasses several concepts that include prayer, faith, and action as portrayed in different biblical verses like Mark 9:29, James 2: 26, and Deuteronomy 31:6 (New International Version, 2011). Prayer helps ensure that no harm occurs to the affected and the possessed is healed and restored. Faith is in God’s guidance to ensure that he provides protection and ensures that law enforcement officers get to the venue on time before any harm occurs. The action involves efforts like effective communication and time management, understanding of the architecture of the building, and downing in protective gear by the law enforcement officers. A secular worldview derives its confidence in solving problems from increased preparation and understanding of concepts like architectural frameworks. However, the Biblical worldview relies on God’s guidance and protection as a source of confidence, which helps law enforcement offices meet their deadlines. Philippians 4: is a guide for Christians to gain confidence in conducting their obligations with the trust of help and guidance from God.
Existing literature does not display a multidimensional approach to the problem. More focus is put on physical mitigation strategies without the spiritual aspect. On the other hand, Biblical literature emphasizes hope and prayer without focusing on actionable strategies to mitigate the problem. A multidimensional approach to reducing the response time allows law enforcement officers to see the significance of employing both strategies with a critical focus on reducing harm to the victims. This will encompass prayer, believing in God, and employing interventions like a comprehensive understanding of the buildings, self-protection, and effective communication.
References
Kellom, K., & Nubani, L. (2018). One step ahead of active shooters: Are our university buildings ready?. Buildings, 8(12), 1-15. Web.
New International Version. (2011). BibleGateway.com. Web.
Sikes, D. L., Barnes, G. A., & Casida, D. L. (2018). Active shooter on campus!. Nursing made Incredibly Easy, 16(1), 34-41. Web.