Tuesday morning's lockdown at Hunt Midwest SubTropolis is drawing attention to the increasing number of organizations that have adopted activing shooter procedures.
A terminated employee had reportedly threatened to "shoot the place up," and someone believed they saw him enter the huge underground complex, located in a limestone deposit at 8300 NE Underground Dr. in northeast Kansas City. The man was later arrested off-site.
SubTropolis has millions of square feet of space and dozens of companies have offices there. When word of the possible threat surfaced, an emergency communications link had already been established. Employees knew how and where to shelter in place during the lockdown, which lasted close to three hours.
Advance planning is critically important, said Capt. Tim Hernandez, Kansas City Police."When you have a plan in place, it reduces the amount of stress, and it also builds confidence in the individuals to know what they need to do, and how they can successfully get through this situation," Hernandez said.
Keeping people calm can aid in getting accurate information back to first responders, Hernandez said. Training for active shooters is becoming more widespread. Many organizations use an online course offered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.