The New York City Police Department January 20, 2011 released a report, Active Shooter: Recommendations and Analysis for Risk Mitigation, to assist the New York City building security community in preventing and responding to active shooter attacks. The study includes a comprehensive compendium of 281 active shooter attacks that occurred between 1966 and 2010.

The NYPD performed a rigorous statistical analysis of these cases to identify trends and patterns that would inform actionable recommendations for the building security community.

"Active shooter incidents are some of the most dynamic acts of violence that police and private security encounter. They are particularly important for NYPD Shield members to understand," Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said. "After the Virginia Tech shooting and Mumbai terrorist attacks, the Police Department undertook a statistical analysis of active shooter incidents from 1966 to 2011. Its results are compiled in this report."

The Active Shooter report presents tactically useful recommendations covering procedures, systems, and training for building security personnel which include:

• Installation of closed-circuit television systems that provide domain awareness of the entire facility and its perimeter; ensure that video feeds are viewable from a central command station.
• Designation of shelter locations with thick walls, solid doors with locks, minimal interior windows, first-aid emergency kits, communication devices, and duress alarms.
• Designation of a point-of-contact with knowledge of the facility's security procedures and floor plan to liaise with police and other emergency agencies in the event of an attack.
• Identification of multiple evacuation routes and practice evacuations under varying conditions; post evacuation routes in conspicuous locations throughout the facility; ensure that evacuation routes account for individuals with special needs and disabilities.

Active training for occupants of the building on how to react to an incident.

Its analysis found that:

• 96% of active shooters are male;
• 98% of active shooter incidents are carried out by a single attacker;
• the median number of deaths associated with active shooter attacks is two, as is the median number of wounded;
• 36% of active shooter attacks involve more than one weapon;
• 46% of active shooter attacks end with force applied by police, private security, or other bystanders, and 40% of active shooter attacks end with attacker suicide or attempted suicide; and
• 41% of active shooters had a professional relationship with their closest victim, however, less than one-third of these cases were perpetrated by individuals who were no longer employed by the organization at the time of their attack, implying that the threat of active shooters is not limited to downsized employees.  

The report was unveiled at a SHIELD Conference in the NYPD's auditorium in front of 400 members of the private building security community.  The conference included presentations on patterns and trends in active shooter attacks; the NYPD's recommendations on how to mitigate the risk from active shooter attacks; the Emergency Service Unit's response to active shooter incidents; and warning signs of potential active shooters.

The NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau was established by Commissioner Kelly in 2002 to guard against the threat of international and domestic terrorism in New York City.  

The full Active Shooter report can be found online via http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/counterterrorism/active_shooter.shtml