Full Notification

A Message from Chief McGill

With mass shootings, prevention will save lives
 
February 15, 2018

Like all of you, I am heartbroken about the mass murders that occurred in Parkland, Florida on February 14th. All of us were victimized. Of course, not at the same level as the victims' families, the Parkland community, or the courageous first responders. But, nonetheless, many of us sensed some level of security slip away Wednesday — and more fear crept into our lives. These tragedies have become too routine, without an end in sight. I share your frustration.  

In Novato, your police department and its public safety partners routinely plan, train and drill for events such as Wednesday’s. I am very confident our staff would rise to the occasion and courageously respond to one of these horrific events and perform with valor.

Our response would be heroic like the countless other police officers across the country who run toward gunfire. But our response would not be the first opportunity to be courageous. That opportunity is reserved for you.

The first opportunity to be courageous most often occurs long before the first 9-1-1 call is made reporting that someone is actively killing innocent people. In nearly every case, someone was aware of the perpetrator's irregular activity before the event, and those suspicions were suppressed by the witness(es) for one reason or another.
The police can respond admirably and even save some lives, but the vast majority of the carnage will have already occurred before they arrive.

Police response and training for these events is critical, but the most important effort must be in the area of prevention. In addition to the police, this responsibility falls upon the shoulders of all of you. For the last few years, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has used the slogan, "see something, say something."

I believe we need to take it a step further — beyond "seeing" something. You must use all your senses and instincts — report any questionable behavior. Whether we're talking about true terrorism, workplace violence or domestic violence, all can be equally as deadly. Trying to triage or risk assess suspicious behavior on your own is woefully inadequate and can lead to unending regret. 

The police are trained and equipped with resources not available to the general public. We have access to intelligence information and other tools to perform a thorough threat assessment of the suspect or situation. A threat assessment by the police does not automatically lead to public disclosures, arrests or other visible police activity. Most often these investigations are very discreet, with visible action only taken in situations that are imminent.

Reporting your suspicions to the police gives us the best opportunity to intervene and prevent a tragedy before it's too late. We prefer you identify yourself so we can get the most accurate information about your suspicions, but callers can remain anonymous.  

The Novato Police Department has strong relationships with our education and mental health partners. We work diligently with our public safety partners to disarm and prevent those prohibited from possessing firearms from doing so. We carefully evaluate all threats and frequently engage in mental health issues. Collectively, with the community’s help we are committed to doing everything possible to prevent a tragedy in Novato. We are here 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. If you ever come across something suspicious – whether it relates to a case our investigators are actively working or something completely unrelated – you can always report information and tips via [email protected] or by calling our main line. No concern or piece of information is too small.

If you find yourself in an active killing event, you must act. If you can run away, run. If you cannot run, try to hide. If hiding is not possible or you're about to be discovered, you must fight back. Remember — run, hide, fight!

I encourage everyone to make your voice known to your state and national leaders. Training for in-progress or post-event response is important but pre-event intervention tools are grossly inadequate. We can and must do more.