Unlike Columbine, the SWAT team kicked in the door while Cho was still shooting

[librechik]

They were not heroes, just doing their jobs the RIGHT way.

Jefferson County cops will never live down the shame of their ineffective approach to the Columbine emergency. WTF do we have a SWAT team for anyway? For kicking in doors and saving lives while risking their own. Not waiting around until everything is completely quiet and safe, and then sneaking in.

Thanks, VT SWATS for doing your jobs (in this way at least) well.

[Cameron27]

1. I didn't know that, but good for them if they did.

[librechik]

4. Cho chained the doors

It took the cops a minute to get through the doors, but he was still going when they got inside. Not soon enough however to stop him from killing himself, I guess.

[MadMaddie]

2. In both situations, Colombine and VT the police departments

had never faced anything of that magnitued in their deparment histories.

Colombine went through it and weren't as effective as they could have been.

VT had never been through it, however; they were able to implement lessons learned from Colombine....

I don't fault the police in either situation....they are doing a job they have chosen to do and we should be grateful that there are people to do those jobs.

[NightWatcher]

3. what still gets me is what did the police do in the 2 hour gap

the killer had time to return to his dorm and then mail a package. The school did not have time to shut down the area. I know that they thought they had the killer (the girl in the dorm's friend) stopped on the side of the road off the campus, but still.

[MadMaddie]

5. Yea...there is a real problem there...

[librechik]

6. yeah, I know--that's why I made the post, becuz there are some bright spots

in the generally spotty police actions of the day in question.

[hlthe2b]

7. I had occasion to meet the new Jeffco sheriff a few weeks ago...

I'm betting he would not react similarly... (He formerly was Arvada's police chief), but he just exudes a very different sense than Sheriff John Stone who dealt with Columbine.

I certainly hope Denver metro never has to find out how well he or any other police chiefs would react..:shrug: