Routine Shootings at US Schools and Universities Megathread.

[Tonitrus]

Alas, it might be that we're slow in shifting our assumptions.  The police tactics of the past for something like this probably assumed more of a hostage situation.  We may be overdue in need of assuming these will be a mass murder situation.

Sept 11, 2001 kinda turned that knob quickly when it comes to airline hijackings.

[Admiral Yi]

Did you guys know that American schools lock all their doors once the starting bell rings?  I only learned this when I visited my nephew's rural school.

I guess the parents with kids will know this.

[Razgovory]

They started doing that when I was was in High School, right after Columbine.  All the doors but two, since our school had two buildings and students had to go between them.  Unfortunately our school was badly overcrowded so  people would often leave the building and enter through another door to avoid the crowded halls.  The new policy succeeded in only making everyone late to class.

[The Minsky Moment]

The whole idea of "hardening" schools as if they are isolated US Marine bases in Iraq c. 2004 is almost absurd as forcibly drafting 3rd grade teachers into paramilitary defense forces. As if a shooter loaded up with tactical gear, who just ambushed and took out the armed guard is going to give up and walk away quietly because a door is locked.

[Admiral Yi]

They started doing that when I was was in High School, right after Columbine.  All the doors but two, since our school had two buildings and students had to go between them.  Unfortunately our school was badly overcrowded so  people would often leave the building and enter through another door to avoid the crowded halls.  The new policy succeeded in only making everyone late to class.

Either you are younger than I thought or Columbine was longer ago than I thought..

[Razgovory]

They started doing that when I was was in High School, right after Columbine.  All the doors but two, since our school had two buildings and students had to go between them.  Unfortunately our school was badly overcrowded so  people would often leave the building and enter through another door to avoid the crowded halls.  The new policy succeeded in only making everyone late to class.

Either you are younger than I thought or Columbine was longer ago than I thought..

Columbine was nearly a quarter century ago.  I'm 40.

[Admiral Yi]

Christ

[The Minsky Moment]

Christ

Died at 33

[Zanza]

I only hear about one or two per year in the international media, but school shootings in the US are apparently much more common:

[Tamas]

Unfortunately there is no way to prevent them.

[The Larch]

Unfortunately there is no way to prevent them.

You've been reading The Onion, I see. 

https://www.theonion.com/

That front page is pretty damning...

[Solmyr]

Unfortunately there is no way to prevent them.

You've been reading The Onion, I see. 

https://www.theonion.com/

That front page is pretty damning...

 

[Sheilbh]

I would argue the priority of tactical police teams in this situation should be neutralizing the shooter(s). Eliminate the threat and you immediately ensure the physical safety of innocents. There are a lot of unknown details right now, but that above all should have been their priority.

I think I read in the NYT that this has been the training for police since Columbine.

[The Larch]

I'm reading online a smattering of messages and info pieces that puts the Uvalde PD in some pretty bad light, as well as making the seemingly standard precautions taken by the school pointless. I hope things are clearer in the near future and it turns out it's not as bad as it looks, but things seem pretty muddled right now.

If I get things right:
- The shooter spent around 15 minutes shooting people outside the school, entering it unopposed.
- Police appeared in the scene after the shooter entered the school, and after an initial exchange of gunfire with the shooter, settled back to securing the perimeter.
- During the stand-off, parents gathered around the school and were prevented by police officers from entering it in order to rescue their children, with accounts of parents getting handcuffed, tackled and pepper sprayed by police/marshalls.
- This lasted for one hour, until a tactical team from the Border Patrol entered the school and shot down the shooter.

I guess that plenty of questions will be asked. Why did the police wait for one hour to enter the school and engage the shooter? This is no rinky dink two horse town police force of a couple of guys, the Uvalde PD costs the city (pop. 13k) 4 million dollars per year, 40% of its annual budget, and has a 9 officer strong SWAT team. On top of that, the school district also has a police department, although much smaller, and they were the ones who initially engaged with the shooter, rather than the Uvalde PD. What's the point of this small town multi-million police departments with SWAT teams if they have to wait for federal troops to do the dirty work? I mean, if you have a bloated, militarized and extremely expensive police force, they could at least do the job they're meant to do.

[frunk]

I mean, if you have a bloated, militarized and extremely expensive police force, they could at least do the job they're meant to do.

- During the stand-off, parents gathered around the school and were prevented by police officers from entering it in order to rescue their children, with accounts of parents getting handcuffed, tackled and pepper sprayed by police/marshalls.

Sounds like mission accomplished.