Immediate Action Rapid Deployment - Rationale

Rationale

IARD is partially a response to murder–suicides where criminals attack large groups and then kill themselves when confronted by armed responders. In a school shooting scenario, the attacker seeks only to maximize casualties, with most occurring within the first 15 minutes. It is not feasible to follow a traditional hostage-type scenario and await a negotiator.

In these situations, first responders who quickly and decisively close with the attacker may prevent further casualties; at the very least it prevents the attacker from establishing control over the environment needed to cause more casualties. IARD overcomes the inherent desire to take time to devise a solution that minimizes casualties amongst officer and victims, in situations where any delay causes further casualties.

However, as many schools have developed lock-down protocols in the wake of incidents such as Columbine, the increased risk posed by IARD may become inappropriate in such cases where the venue itself has already contained the shooter's movements and reduced the number of exposed targets in their locked down posture.