By Richard J. Bonnie and Rebekah Hutton, Editors

Active shooter drills have become a standard practice in nearly all U.S. schools, yet their potential impact on students and educators has received limited attention. School Active Shooter Drills: Mitigating Risks to Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Health explores how these drills are conducted and how to reduce potential harm while supporting school safety. Developed by a committee of experts in education, school safety, public health, pediatrics, child and adolescent development, psychiatry, psychology, neuroscience, public policy, and criminology, this report provides an in-depth review of current practices and offers guidance. The report provides suggestions for implementing practices that promote prevention and preparedness while supporting well-being, and foster learning environments where students and staff feel safe, capable, and supported.

School Active Shooter Drills finds that while drills aim to enhance preparedness, they often vary dramatically in intensity and design, from simple safety walk-throughs to unannounced, high-simulation events. Such inconsistencies can heighten anxiety, distress, and confusion, especially among vulnerable student populations. The report underscores that developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed practices are essential, and drills involving realistic simulations or deception should be avoided entirely.

School Active Shooter Drills outlines actionable recommendations for state and local policymakers, school leaders, researchers, and federal agencies, including banning harmful practices, supporting staff training, ensuring equitable inclusion, and increasing access to mental health resources. This report also calls for national guidance and sustained research to strengthen the evidence base and help schools foster safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments so that schools not only prepare students and staff for emergencies but also protect their mental, emotional, and behavioral well-being.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; Board on Children, Youth, and Families; Committee on Law and Justice; Committee on the Impact of Active Shooter Drills on Student Health and Wellbeing. 2025. p253.

By Lauren Magee, Travis Carter, and Edmund F. McGarrell

In an effort to reduce the number of fatal and nonfatal shootings in Detroit, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office (WCPO), working closely with the Detroit Police Department (DPD), developed an innovative approach to the investigation and prosecution of nonfatal shootings. The innovation involved the use of a One-Person Grand Jury focused specifically on nonfatal shootings. The One-Person Grand Jury was considered an investigatory resource that could increase the cooperation of shooting victims and witnesses. The grand jury provided victims and witnesses a safe environment in which to provide testimony they might otherwise be reluctant to provide. The short-term goals included the preservation of testimonial evidence that would result in identification, arrest, and conviction of perpetrators of nonfatal shooting incidents. The mission of the WCPO’s Violent Crime Unit: The mission of The Violent Crime Unit Is to ensure that Justice Is served by utilizing a non-traditional approach to the reduction of violent crime. This collaborative effort utilizes a combination of special judicial proceedings, vertical prosecution, crime analysis, social media analysis, and witness protection to target violent gangs and offenders that drive violent crime. The longer-term goal was to reduce shootings. The rationale was that building stronger cases would lead to an increase in arrests and better cases for court; future shootings would be prevented through two causal mechanisms. First, high risk individuals (shooters) would be more likely to be convicted and sentenced to a period of incarceration during which they would be unable to re-offend within the community (incapacitation effect). Second, the perceived risk of sanction among potential shooters would be increased (deterrence effect). Essentially, by holding shooters accountable at a higher rate than historically has been the case, there should be a reduction in shootings. Additionally, given that nonfatal shootings have historically had low levels of clearance by arrest and closure through prosecution, the focused attention of the OnePerson Grand Jury might have an additional effect of increasing the perceived legitimacy of police and prosecution by residents of neighborhoods affected by shootings through the effort to hold shooters accountable. Complementing the One-Person Grand Jury was increased cooperation and coordination among prosecutors and police investigators whereby designated prosecutors were available (via phone) to consult with police investigators at the scene of a nonfatal shooting. The intent was to provide prosecution resources to investigators, including the legal process of the One-Person Grand Jury, to enhance investigations and case preparation.

East Lansing, MI: Michigan Justice Statistics Center, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, 2021. 31p.