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Date: 7/20/2023
AGAWAM — Mass shootings across America have become a near-daily occurrence, and many fear no one is safe. John Nettis feels that way, too, and is doing something about it.
Nettis is a longtime law enforcement veteran in Hampden County, having served in the Sheriff’s Department and the Agawam Police Department. He began running shooter drills when he became safety director for Agawam’s public schools.
“I started working with one school that had been doing active shooter drills which consisted of turning off the lights, closing the door and hiding in the corner. I said, ‘Oh my God, this isn’t going to work,” said Nettis.
Nettis, along with Agawam Police Officer Steven Grasso, went back to the drawing board, developing a strong active shooter plan for the schools that identified everything from red flag warnings to a rapid response until police could arrive.
Nettis and Grasso have since co-founded Protective Advanced Safety Services, or PASS, a private security firm. Founded in 2017, their Agawam business has burgeoned. Summer, with schools out of session, is no longer a quiet time of the year; the calls from houses of worship, businesses and even more schools never stop.
“If, God forbid, someone comes into the facility with a firearm and starts shooting people, that’s enough to close your doors. You’ll never recover not only financially but emotionally as well,” said Nettis, who still works part-time for the Agawam schools. Grasso is retired from the Agawam Police.
PASS has begun working with Thornes Marketplace in Northampton to enhance that business’ emergency action plan, training merchants and staff on ways to respond to an assault on the marketplace.
“We want to make sure we have the most up-to-date security plan and that our tenants and staff are equipped with knowledge and some experience,” said Jody Doele, co-owner and marketing director for Thornes.
PASS makes its training as realistic as possible, with trainers storming onto the scene, shouting and firing blanks from guns. The real-life scenario continues with Nettis, Grasso and other trainers guiding civilians through the crisis, seeing how they respond and creating a tailored action plan for that specific organization.
The partners offer partial- and full-day training sessions, working with management and human resources professionals. Clients are told to watch out for disgruntled employees, or that the attack could come from an angry spouse of an employee, or a parent embroiled in a custody battle. Every one of these scenarios and others could blow up, costing innocent bystanders their lives.
“We don’t just put on a PowerPoint presentation, talk in front of a room and leave. We make it a point to visit the workplace to identify vulnerabilities unique to the property so when we do provide training, it’s customized, relevant and actionable should an emergency occur,” said Nettis.
While every mass shooting scenario is unique, Nettis said there is some advice that applies widely, particularly before the event starts. Everyone should feel empowered to say something if they see something, and those in charge should pay attention to the warnings.
“People should feel comfortable going to someone in charge and being taken seriously. A lot of people don’t like to be stool pigeons or squeal on their fellow employees. But they need to know and talk about tripwire behaviors that could end up in an attack,” said Nettis.
Now that his full-time career in public service has ended, Nettis is happy to continue helping keep the Western Massachusetts community safe and secure.
“We take great pride in what we do and we’re very grateful these places are counting on us,” he said. “It’s cool sitting back and listening to our clients talk and being part of their administration. It’s awesome.”
For more information about PASS, visit trainwithpass.com.