RO ... creating second chances

Accountability??: Nobody knew for 2 hours ...

2010-12-06T09:03:00.000-06:00

I had heard a rumored report last week that the WI student who held his class hostage, actually held them at gunpoint for almost 2 hours before anyone else knew. It took a parent coming to school trying to find their child before anyone knew anyone was missing. The principal was confronted at the classroom door because he went there looking for the missing child, only to find the whole class and teacher being held at gunpoint. Well, the below linked report is pretty detailed. It seems this was not just a rumor.
This is an interesting point when it comes to the issue of accountability and control that is often raised by LOCKDOWN aficionados, “We think letting the kids run away is dangerous because we won’t know where they are!” or “What if they make the wrong decision?” or “What if there’s another shooter?” or whatever other “what-if” they come up. Here we have a situation where shots were fired in a classroom, and nobody knew it. A whole class was taken hostage, and nobody knew it. FOR TWO HOURS??!!
And this happened not in a remote location, but inside the school during school hours. This speaks to how real is our ability to control our environment given the size and complexity of so many of our buildings. And if in reality we don’t completely control our environment, how do we mandate a response to an attacker that is predicated on a law enforcement solution that is not just minutes away, which is still too long, but may be two hours away?
I cannot imagine what would have been the outcome of this situation last week if this kid had had evil intent. Yes, these kids and teacher did a hell of job. But had this gunkid been of the same cloth as a Cho: focused, determined, methodical, … another tragedy in the making. Tell me please, how does teaching our kids to remain in the building, lock the classroom door, sit quietly in the corner, and wait for the police to rescue them, relate to this event? And this is not a table-top exercise, this happened last week. And it can happen again this week …. Are we ready?

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/12/05/hundreds-attend-wisconsin-hostage-takers-funeral/?test=latestnews

WI Student takes class hostage, kills self

2010-12-06T08:59:00.002-06:00

Armed Wis. Student Frees Hostages, Shoots Self
I think this will be an interesting case-study once all the details come out. Really begs the question of hostage-taker or active killer, a question that often brings about charged debate in the classes. Sounds like kid fired some rounds initially, then held the class hostage for 5 hours, released some hostages, then fired more rounds (don’t know at what) and shot himself, and that made Officers enter the classroom. Apparently he shot nobody else.
In the aftermath, this is easily termed a hostage event. But if you had been one of the first officers on-scene with limited intel at the time, what would you have determined the motives were, and when would you have taken the fight to the bad-guy. This event seems a lot like a reply of Platte Canyon HS in Bailey CO. This kid had 5 hours to decide to kill classmates or not after he killed the projector. If the report is true that he fired 4 other rounds before shooting himself and police entered, that could have been at least 4 more casualties, with police on the other side of a door.
Whether the information on yesterday’s event is accurate or not, the situation is a tactical dilemma. Whenever I ask any LE officer around the country, “Why does someone show up with a gun?” the answer is they are there to kill. Should our tactics be accordingly aggressive, or do we wait for the shooting to start to get aggressive? This question is a LE supervisor’s nightmare I guess because the aforementioned answer I always get from the rank and file rarely seems to fit the historical, and yesterday’s, LE response. We have to pick a poison: Do something and bad things may happen or Wait and bad things may happen. The “may happen” part is the same. It’s the do something or waiting part that differs. I say we, LE and civilians, be doers of something when lives are on the line. How about you?
Nobody said the job was easy.
Be safe and vigilant my friends.

2010-08-31T08:06:00.002-05:00

All should watch the video press conference by the Sheriff (link below) regarding today’s shooting at Central HS. This isn’t a reporter’s version, but the words of the Sheriff describing the officer’s actions. Lots of red-flags. I almost think this might be a suicide-by cop situation, but the SRO just wouldn’t shoot him. Please “review” your mental preparation. Know what you can do, do what you have to do, and do it when it needs to be done. Not all bad guys are going to be as patient as this one seems to have been (… RIP Kyle Dinkheller). School year starting off rough again.
If you have any comments you can post them to the Message Board if you are an ALiCE Instructor and a member, or send them to me and I can post. Be vigilant, Greg.
Press conference reveals information about Central shooting