Eric Holder wants $15M to train against active shooters

WASHINGTON — In wake of two mass shootings this month, Attorney General Eric Holder urged Congress Tuesday to authorize $15 million for training state and local law enforcement officers to confront so-called active shooters.

"In the face of this urgent and growing threat – when the lives of innocent people are at stake – those who stand on the front lines need our full and unwavering support," Holder said in a video message posted on the Justice Department's website. "This critical funding would help the Justice Department ensure that America's police officers have the tools and guidance they need to effectively respond to active shooter incidents whenever and wherever they arise."

Six people have died and 16 others have been wounded so far this month in two separate shootings, one at Fort Hood, Texas, and another at a Jewish Community Center and retirement home outside Kansas City. In the Fort Hood case, the second in five years, a soldier opened fire on his colleagues before killing himself. A former Ku Klux Klan leader, meanwhile, was being held in connection with the murders of three in the Kansas shooting.

The incidents are part of a troubling rise in such cases, according to the Justice Department. Between 2000 and 2008, there have been an average of five active shooter incidents each year in the U.S. Since 2009, the annual average has roughly tripled, Holder said.

"But each of these tragic events is a heartbreaking reminder that mass shootings are all too common,'' Holder said. "And they have become increasingly deadly. As a nation, we must confront this alarming rise and all of its underlying causes – honestly, factually, and without regard for political consequence. We must deal with these incidents whenever they happen – but, just as importantly, we must prevent them whenever we can.''

Holder said the FBI's Behavioral Threat Assessment Center, which supports state, local and campus safety officers, has seen a nearly 200 percent increase in requests for assistance in the past year, in part to help detect and disrupt potential active shooter situations.

Because patrol officers are often the first to respond to such incidents—not specially trained tactical units—Holder said "all law enforcement officers must have the best equipment and most up-to-date training to confront these situations, to stop active shooters in their tracks, to protect themselves, and to save innocent lives.''

During the past decade, the Justice Department and FBI have helped provide active shooter training to 60,000 law enforcement officials, from front-line officers to commanders and agency directors.

"This vital work must continue,'' Holder said, "but to provide training, we need adequate funding.''