Welcome to the Research Ring
Research at the Heart of ALERRT
The Research Ring is the research division of the ALERRT Center at Texas State University. We produce rigorous, evidence-based research to support the nation’s standard in active shooter response training — and to improve the health and operational capacity of first responders.
Welcome
The Research Ring supports the mission of the ALERRT Center to “…provide the best research-based active shooter response training in the nation” by producing research and other resources.
Within the ALERRT Center, our mandate is to improve the lives and operational capacity of first responders through rigorous research and evaluation. Our research covers several topic areas:
- Active attack trends
- Law enforcement training
- First responder health/wellness
- Public/law enforcement opinion
Active Attacks
At its core, the ALERRT Center is focused on preparing law enforcement and other first responders to respond to active attacks. Understanding the trends and commonalities between active attacks and how they change over time is critically important to this effort. The Research Ring maintains a database of active attacks that have occurred in the United States since 2000. We also host the website, ActiveAttackData.org, to make that database publicly accessible. Visitors will find resources (static/interactive plots, maps, etc.) that unpack the data. Or visitors can download the data directly from the website as well. All of the media is downloadable and free to use.
Tactical Science
Tactical Science is a Substack written by Pete Blair, Director of the ALERRT Center. Pete writes about police training research — including work coming out of the Research Ring — as well as findings from other corners of the training science world. His posts cover topics like training methodology, ecological dynamics, the constraints-led approach, and the broader culture and practice of law enforcement training. If you want the research translated into something you can actually use, this is the place to start.
