Specialist firearms teams have one of the most difficult jobs imaginable in law enforcement. They have to handle situations where there is heightened risk to threatened parties, members of the public and themselves from, potentially, the most dangerous adversaries. Scenarios include policing operations against potentially armed criminals, hostage and kidnap situations, and the protection of VIPs and CNI (Critical National Infrastructure).
And ultimately, of course, firearms officers have to make split-second decisions based on available information and instinct—decisions that may come under huge scrutiny long after any incident.
Firearms operations therefore require the most detailed and effective planning and Cunning Running’s CTS-PRAS software can prove invaluable in this area.
Data-supported decision making
When there is known or believed to be an actual or potential armed adversary, the CTS-PRAS software can help with understanding exactly which areas are threatened from potential shooter locations by the class of weapon believed to be involved. (The CTS-PRAS software includes detailed weapons data, both pre-configured and user-configurable, so is able to distinguish between theoretical maximum ranges and shorter ranges for effective employment.)
Similarly, CTS-PRAS can assess the coverage achievable for firearms officers needing to protect defined locations or counter potential threat locations.
Firearm operations will often involve careful surveillance of a specific location, and here CTS-PRAS can provide an assessment of optimal surveillance locations for coverage of the objective whilst maximising concealment of approach.
Shared situational awareness is vital to the safety of firearms operations, and CTS-PRAS results can be made available to frontline users in clear graphical form, including as overlays for existing tactical information systems such as Airbox’s MOSAIC. During the planning process, high resolution 3D models of the protected location can be utilised within CTS-PRAS as an intuitive situational awareness and scenario exploration tool, helping security teams gain confidence that they have a robust protection plan.
Secret Service’s “Cascade of preventable failures”
A prime example of a situation where CTS-PRAS analysis could have helped to analyse and mitigate risk is the assassination attempt against Donald Trump on 13 July 2024 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Exactly a year on from that date, a July 2025 US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee report on the attempt described the events as a “cascade of preventable failures”. These failures culminated in situation where, “a 20-year-old gunman was able to evade detection by the country’s top protective agency for nearly 45 minutes.”
Had CTS-PRAS been used in the planning of security and firearms operations for that day, the potential sniper locations in the area could have very quickly been determined using the software.
Using that information, site configuration and additional screening could have been adjusted to minimise the level of exposure.
In addition, the US Secret Service’s own sniper and observer positions could have been optimised to provide the best coverage of all threat locations.
Wise before the event
Of course, it’s all very well being wise after the event. That’s why CTS-PRAS is an advanced software tool designed expressly to enable security, protection and firearms teams to be better informed and wise before and during the event.
A CTS-PRAS demo is the best way to see exactly what we mean, and that can be delivered remotely to you and interested colleagues during a Teams call.
To arrange a CTS-PRAS demo, simply call Cunning Running on +44 (0)1794 834750 or email enquiries@cunningrunning.co.uk
Stay in touch by following the Cunning Running company page on LinkedIn, or the LinkedIn pages of Phil Cowell Head of Operations or John Overend Customer Support & Training Manager.
Further reading:
Sadly, there’s never been a greater need for CTS-PRAS…
An introduction to CTS-PRAS software and its use in Counter Terrorism.
CTS-PRAS: the integrated Counter Terrorism planning and analysis software with use cases far beyond CT
A general introduction to the CTS-PRAS software’s applicability for other use cases such as airport and CNI protection, major events protection, search operations, and firearms operations.
Flight of foot: How deploying advanced CTS-PRAS software can protect airports and their users from a wide range of threats
A closer look at ‘airport and CNI protection’ use cases.
Raise the bar: How deploying advanced CTS-PRAS software can protect major events and attendees from a wide range of threats
A closer look at ‘major events protection’ use cases.
Look sharp: How deploying advanced CTS-PRAS software can support searches in CT, serious crime investigations and other operations
A closer look at ‘search’ use cases.
