Wanda English Burnett, Editor

“Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Biblical question from the story of Cain and Abel thousands of years ago can be answered in one word, “Yes.”

Sheriff Tom Grills learned how important it is to watch the actions of others and then act on what you see, when he went through intensive training to be a certified instructor in the Response to the Active Shooter course.

The training gave new insight to what could happen when someone goes on a shooting rampage such as was reported just last week at a factory in Kentucky. Wesley Higdon, 25, can’t be charged with murder because he took his own life after killing four co-workers and a supervisor at the Atlantis Plastics Plant in Henderson, Kentucky. Newspaper accounts noted that the shooter had been reprimanded at work, called his girlfriend making the threat of killing others, and then carried it out.
The behavior displayed is so typical of the “active shooter” according to Perry Hollowell, who was the instructor for the class the sheriff and others recently completed. “There are warning signs,” he told The Versailles Republican.

A law enforcement veteran of 33 years, Hollowell has a broad range of experience to bring to the common sense approach he takes to teaching other officers about how to respond to situations that are way out of the “norm.”

“The key is communication,” Hollowell stressed. Matter of fact, it’s the beginning and bottom line. And, he isn’t talking about only communication among law enforcement. He’s talking about everyday citizens being aware of their surroundings, the actions of people, and then taking the next step, telling someone in authority.

“The signs are there,” he noted, giving examples of what to look for.

• Victim Mentality: Just as was reported in the recent factory shooting, if someone has been disciplined at work or school, or perhaps fired, it can trigger the victim mentality. The person feels as though they have been victimized and sometimes seek revenge.

• Change of Appearance: Someone who is normally well kept suddenly loses interest in their appearance. Perhaps they quit shaving, bathing etc.

• Change of Environment: People begin to hang out with different friends, maybe people who haven’t had the same wholesome interests they used to have.

• Change of Language: You might notice someone’s change in vocabulary, for example, maybe using gang jargon.

• Threats: (This is a huge sign, according to Hollowell). Listen. If someone makes a threat, tell someone who can do something about it. Threats are often made in emails, phone conversations, written down and even in person. Again, this was the case in the recent shooting. The gunman told his girlfriend.

• Change of dress: Hollowell notes that cult overtones, trench coat Mafia style dress could be a signal.

• Change in habits: The person who is usually on time for work now shows up late often, their performance is sub par, maybe they quit attending church or athletic activities.

• Emotional changes: Someone might be very high (upbeat) one minute and very low the next. This could be a signal of mental illness, which is sometimes the reason people have aggressive behavior.

• Change in values: If the value of human life changes, this could be a clear indicator. Suicide often follows when a shooter takes out several people. They may have told someone previously they have nothing to live for, or they want to die.

Hollowell has a long list of credentials - captain at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA), 22 year military career, adjunct faculty for two colleges, FBI academy, and sheriff of Vermillion County. He has studied human behavior with the most bizarre case being when Larry Eyler, known as the infamous “highway killer” in the ‘80’s, confessed to killing 23 homosexuals.

Hollowell said Eyler personally confessed to him and the case was “movie type material” just by telling the whole truth. “It was by far the most complex case I’ve ever worked,” he told The Versailles Republican.

The ideal scenario would be for people to catch the signs and “would-be” shooters stopped before they commit these crimes. However, that’s not usually the case. The instruction Hollowell gives in the active shooter class is how officers should respond once the scene is in place.

“It’s intense, and I’ve instructed officers in my department that someone will die when we go in,” noted Sheriff Grills, as he spoke about his experience with the class. They are taught to “terminate the threat”, unlike a SWAT team, that typically searches and secures, or negotiates and then makes entry as a last resort. The instructor referred to the school shootings in Columbine, saying the response was typical at the time, but now they’re trained to immediately go in. Orange blotches on the uniforms of officers who were shot during the training was evidence that shots were going to be fired. The staged scenes seemed real as officers aggressively swept through the Carnegie Hall at Moores Hill. The shots were loud and the results final.

Grills noted that in Ripley County should this scene unfold, we would have had to wait for a SWAT team to be formed, probably coming from several counties away. This training is something he’s been interested in since taking office as sheriff, because he said he knows we don’t have time to wait. The sheriff, along with Deputy Rob Bradley are now certified instructors and Detective Corky Houseworth also has taken the training to respond to a “shooter” situation. The sheriff and Bradley can now teach other officers and departments in the technique of the active shooter. The goal is to have all the agencies in the county on the same page should this type of situation occur. “This training will be mandatory at the sheriff’s department,” Grills noted.

The sheriff said he has purchased the necessary equipment from commissary and firearms accounts through his department. Some of the equipment necessary includes close quarter combat weapons. “I feel sorry for the person who comes to Ripley County with something like this (massive shooting) in mind,” he noted.

During the training officers moved together as a dense force when entering the building, one unit with many arms, or perhaps firearms. The sheriff noted that the integrity of the mission is compromised when the unit separates. But, when they move together, it’s quite a force. That’s somewhat how he explained a strong, safe, community. “When people work together, things happen,” he noted. He encourages people to become involved. When they see behaviors as listed above, or anything out of the ordinary, call authorities. “The eyes of the community are how crimes get solved many times,” he stressed. He said partnering with the community takes guns, drugs, and much more off the streets and curbs domestic violence.

Spending five days to train is important to Grills. “I want to be prepared to take care of this community,” he told The Versailles Republican, adding, “I don’t want to be caught off guard.” He said he felt this was an area that was lacking and when seconds matter, it’s worth the training, money, and time spent. It’s a proactive approach to good policing, according to the sheriff. It’s not that something couldn’t happen since the sheriff’s office has received the new training, it’s just that now they’re more equipped to deal with it.

He said the thing Hollowell drilled in those taking the course was the importance of communication. Hollowell emphatically concluded, “If we don’t communicate, we’ll keep putting bodies in body bags.”

WANDA ENGLISH BURNETT PHOTOS With Sheriff Tom Grills center and Deputy Rob Bradley to his right, the above photo shows how those trained to enter a situation where a mass shooting has taken place would react. They mean business. Pictured right: from left are Andy Cline, conservation officer from Dearborn County, Deputy Bradley, Sheriff Grills and Response to the Active Shooter Instructor Perry Hollowell The training took place in Moores Hill at the Carnegie Hall building.