In 2016, Omar Mateen, a self-proclaimed Islamic terrorist, walked into the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida and began shooting into the crowd of 102 people and killing 49 of them. Throughout the night, patrons initially trapped inside the building were able to escape, while those remaining sought shelter in bathrooms, behind a glass bar, and anywhere else that gave them any cover. Many called loved ones and 9-1-1 to tell of the carnage, say they were sure they were going to die, or repeat what the gunman had said – that he also had explosives. During the three hours of the standoff, Mateen and the police periodically exchanged gunfire and Mateen sporadically shot more victims as he discovered them (killing at least five of them). Finally, after failing to blow a hole in the rear of the Pulse building with a bomb, the police drove a BobCat armored vehicle through a wall in one of the bathrooms, set off some flashbangs, and shot Mateen, killing him. Thirty hostages were freed. They were searched for weapons and questioned by the police. In the days that followed, the FBI informed the victims of resources available to them and several local groups organized psychologists and psychiatrists to talk to the victims and other community members to discuss their emotional wellbeing.

For this discussion, please focus on the first people to talk to the survivors (victims) – the police. In addition to searching them and asking them questions concerning the facts and circumstances of the incident, should the police also have asked the victims about their personal concerns, provided them with information, previewed them on what the legal process would be, and perhaps have made referrals? Please focus on this incident to discuss what, if anything, you feel the police, as first responders, should provide victims/witnesses of mass disasters with. Should the police be concerned with the victims’ psychological wellbeing? What type of training, if any, do you feel they should have?