Denver Post Office, Navistar Plant in Illinois, Columbine, the Texas McDonald’s.
An exception is the off duty cop at the Utah Mall. He charged right in ahead of the uniformed cops. Fired rounds. Saved many lives. A true hero.
For some reason, this is being accepted as what actually happened. I don't think anyone has established that hundreds of LEOs stood around outside while shots were fired. The media hasn't even suggested it yet (which should tell you something).
Another exception from Columbus, Ohio, recall at the time they indicated they had made a decision-as best they could-to try to save people in these situations.
http://www.policeone.com/training/articles/94488/
me to. They stand outside with their guns drawn and appear to be afraid to enter the building. That is what I saw from that cell phone video. Now I admit I don’t know the full story, nor if they were able to get into the building, or if other cops were already in the building. But if the cops took their time trying to get into a building where clearly people were being shot one after the other I have a problem.
I think we all want the cops to be heros, but many times that just isn’t the case. So far the only hero I have heard about in all of this was that holocaust survivor professor who held the door shut while the students were jumping out the windows. He died going down trying to save others. That is a hero to me.
But I only will point the finger at the killer at this point and until the investigation is complete and the questions answered will I really give my opinion on the cops and what they did or didn’t do.
Wasn't a lot of charging in to do. He and the wife were there having dinner.
I don’t think it’s as much being a wimp as being “nice” (heavens, we can’t hurt the scumbag, he might sue)...and worrying whether they might hurt innocents.
Of course, the irony is, if you don’t act, especially with a loon, odds are that more innocents will be hurt than if you do go in “guns blazing”!
I'm sorry, but you don't know whether what you SAW was the totality of what was HAPPENING at the time. You may have seen many LEO outside, but what makes you think there wasn't ALSO two or three or twenty SWAT teams working INSIDE the buildings at the same time? You have seen limited still photos and video, perhaps all taken from one or two sides of the building, and it is way too early to KNOW what actually went down. Perhaps 10 SWAT teams penetrated the building from the back side and were sweeping the building when those photos were taken. Perpahs the LEO you saw outside were just there to (a) prevent any further bystanders from going in or getting in harm's way, (b) to receive hostages who were let out or escaped, and (c) to intercept the perp if he managed to elude the SWAT teams inside.
You have no idea what the tactical plan or actual actions were by looking at a few still photos and one cell phone video from one angle on the building.
Additionally, you are complaining about seeing all these LEO outside.... but if you had seen video with NO LEO visible (i.e., if they had ALL stormed the building and none had stayed outside), they I'm sure you would be posting that you're "tired of seeing cell phone videos of these situations with no LEO anywhere in sight; if a kid with a cell phone knew it was happening and could get there to film it, why couldn't LEO get there??"
The amount of second-guessing from armchair quarterbacks on this thread is annoying, to say the least.