Re: Colorado shooting and police training

Jay Thomas (jpthomas@ix.netcom.com)
Wed, 21 Apr 1999 10:55:33 -0400


Rodent of Unusual Size wrote:
> 1. The television station that was called by a student in a
> classroom during the event took time to pump him for
> information before advising him to call 911.

Welcome to the 90's. I also was very disturbed by this, and also kids
calling out of the scholl on their cell phones during the attack, giving
info (also, possibly, giving away their location at a time when no one
knew how many shooters there were, or where the shooters were). But,
just like the Princess Di thing, everyone will scream about media
ethics, no one will actually *do* anything, and in 3 months, right back
to business as usual.

> 2. A group of (I presume) students was shown running across
> the street, accompanied/herded by police. All of them had
> their hands clasped atop their heads.
>
> The first one I personally find reprehensible. I'm not sure how
> I feel about the second one, but it seems to have echoes regarding
> presumption of innocence.

This also bothered me, felt very "police-state". AS a raving delusional
paranoid member of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy, that type of image
always worries me. But, then I realized, there were unknown number of
assailants, wearing trenchcoats and masks, armed to the teeth. How easy
would it have been to drop the weapons/masks/coats, roll a little victim
blood on themselves, and run out with the other students, making a clean
get away, or worse, pull out more weapons once outside and open up on
the cops? In this case, I actually agreed with their procedures.

--
Jay Thomas
----------------------------------------------------------------
Our main agenda is to have ALL guns banned. We must use whatever 
means possible. It does not matter if you have to distort facts 
or even lie. - Sarah Brady, Handgun Control, Inc. , The National 
Educator, January, 1994