Columbine

[Cerberus]

I just watched some crap today about the parents of some of the victims at columbine. They are sueing the police department for not being ready for something like this. I feel bad for them and all that, but sue the people that risked their lives to try to save your children? I think the parents just want more people to blame.

What do you law enforcement guys think about all this?

[mdb23]

Honestly, I expected as much.

1. In tragedies such as this, individuals commonly displace their grief by becoming angered and blaming others for their loss.

2. Few people have any understanding whatsoever of how tactical operations are conducted. I can't tell you how many times I have heard citizens say, "Why don't you guys just run in and shoot him?" Sorry, it doesn't work that way.

3. Law Enforcement Officers, in general, do not have the support of a large portion of the American public. We are disliked/not trusted by more groups and factions than I care to think about.

Add it all up, and it only stands to reason that at least one of the families would eventually blame the LE community for their loss.

[This message has been edited by mdb23 (edited 09-01-2000).]

[RECON5]

That whole incident was tragic, as were those similar incidents during the same time period. Being a parent I can see how they would want vengance for the child they lost.
Yes I used the word vengance not justice. Justice is served by those they are now proceeding to court with. In my OPINION anything other than what the law would provide for criminal or civil punishment against the actual perpetrators of the crime could be considered vengance. I am not saying if it were my child I would not be looking for some myself, but now turn and bite the hand that feeds you so to speak appears to be "head hunting".

Having been in the field for some time now, I feel safe in saying there is no department that has prepared for any or every circumstance that could possibly arise.
If it was that predictable why did the parents take no action to correct it before it got this far, why not the teachers, the counselors........Police work is re-active by nature. To some degree that is changing, but slowly.

Go after the Police in civil court.....How do you combat the hundreds of witness that will appear and no doubt say if not for the police my child would have or could have died. Hard call unless you have lost a child in an incident where the police were involved. Since I seem to have misplaced the speech that one of the victims fathers made to the media, which never aired (posted before here) I will give you another angle to think about.

LOUSY----TIL YOU NEED ONE
Well Mr. Citizen, I guess you have me figured out. I sem to fit neatly into the category you place me in. I'm stereotyped, characterized, standardized, classified, grouped, and always typical. I'm the "lousy cop".

Unfortunately, the reverse isn't true. I can never figure you out.

From birth you teach your children that I am a person to beware of .... and then you're shocked when they identify me with my traditional enemy, the criminal.

You accuse me of coddling juvenile, until I catch your kid doing something.

You may take an hour for lunch, and several coffee breaks each day, but point me out as a loafer if you see me having just one cup. You pride yourself on your polished manners, but think nothing of interrupting my meals at noon with your troubles.

You raise hell about the guy who cuts you off in traffic, but let me catch you doing the same thing and I'm picking on you. You know all the traffic laws, but never got one single ticket you deserved.

You shout"Foul!" if you observe me driving fast enroute to an emergency call, but literally raise hell if I take more than ten seconds responding to your call!

You call it "part of my job" if someone strikes me, but it's "police brutality" if I strike back.

You wouldn't think of telling your dentist how to pull a badly decayed tooth, or your doctor how to take out an appendix, but you are always willing to give me pointers on law enforcement.

You talk to me in manner and use language that would assure a bloody nose from anyone else, but you expect me to stand there and take it without batting an eye.

You cry, "Something has to be done about all the crime!", but you can't be bothered with getting involved.

You've got not use for me at all, but, of course, it's OK if I change a tire for your wife, or deliver your baby in the back seat of my patrol car on the way to the hospital, or save your son's life with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, or work may hours overtime to find your lost daughter.

So, Dear Citizen, you stand there on your soapbox and ran and rave about the way I do my job, calling me every name in the book, but never stop a minute to think that your property, your family, or maybe your life might depend on one thing—me, or one of my buddies.

Yes, me, the lousy cop!
Author Unknown, submitted by Fort Bend Constable Pct. 2

[HmtPD2]

Recon 5..


I think there comes a point when there isnt much left to say....thanks for taking the time to write that out.

[Puppy_dung]

That's not all, they are also sueing the parents of the killers. They are using their dead children as leverage to get money. That's what bothers me.

[dsumner]

What gets me is the number of "experts" who try to explain just how the responding individual officers, and SWAT units could have "prevented" the gunmen from killing more students.

Everyone has an after the fact plan that would have worked. Or they start with the "why did it take you so log to respond to the calls for help?" questions.

apparently they think the police sit around geared up waiting for someone to go on a shoooting rampage.

[RECON5]

Forgive me, while I twist off momentarily.

There is nothing that pisses me off like an attorney or bureaucrat, who takes 2 years to come with a solution for a problem that Police had seconds to make a decision on and then nit pick it to death(Monday morning Quarterback). Granted mistakes may have been made in hind sight, but you didn't see all these folks standing around offering advice, while those guys still had guns in there hands. Lets all wait till it's over and everyone is out of danger to form a comittee and decide how it should have been done.....Bullsh#@!.

Maybe if they were sitting in an office getting a blowjob, while they were contemplating what to do it would give these folks something else to focus on and they would not have near the headaches that putting there ass on the line has earned them. Hey it worked for one guy.

Sorry if I offended anyone, I am stepping off the soap box now.


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REMEMBER 1*

[jcollettusa]

It is just like T.R. stated:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face in marred by dust and sweat and blood; who drives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actualy strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best know in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.


Just thought that would apply perfectly to this.



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Semper Fi

[mdb23]

BRAVO!!!

[wolfhound227]

You know,I don't see any of the Tactical teams patting themselves on the back.They did
their best and they know it,we know it.

<Will all the LE personel who saw this coming
or trained on this scenario please raise
your hands....I thought so.>