MD Sniper - Shut down roads after sniper left, WHY???

Me ^ | 10-22-2002 | Me

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

OK, I live dead center in the middle of Aspen Hill sniper central. 15 years ago I lived in those apartment buildings across the street from where the guy was shot today on the Ride-On bus. I now live in the house I built two miles from there, 1/2 mile from the post office where the lady was shot in the head while sitting on the bench out front. That is the shopping center where I shop (as well as 10,000 REALLY old people.. Leisure World ). Anyway, the point of all of that is to say that I know this area VERY well (grew up right up the street from the Mobil station where the taxi driver was shot too).

Now, to the road blocks. I couldn't go to work today (yet, it's 11:30am now) because, 15, or so, minutes after the sniper shot and killed the guy on the bus all of the roads leading away from Aspen Hill were blocked. I won't go into how far away the blocks were but they were pretty far (many miles) away. Since at 6:00am I can get to work, 18 miles away, in 25 minutes, what good does it do shutting down all roads in the area after the sniper has left the vicinity??? Or, since the sniper isn't a total idiot, what good do the road blocks do if he (or she) were to simply sit in a shopping center parking lot waiting in his/her car or shopping in the grocery store, until after the road blocks are taken down? It seems to me that putting up road blocks for 3, 4, or 6 hours after the shotting has occured is just plain stupid. Is this simply to show the public that the police/govt./our protectors, who in Maryland WON'T allow us to carry guns, are "doing something?" It's certainly screwing things up around here (as the sniper wants, I'm sure...

[LisaFab]

Is this simply to show the public that the police/govt./our protectors, who in Maryland WON'T allow us to carry guns, are "doing something?"

Bingo! As a NYC area gridlock veteran, you have my sympathies sir.

[eno_]

"what good does it do shutting down all roads in the area after the sniper has left the vicinity???"

Millions of dollars of public resources are NEVER used just to put on a show for the sheeple. No never. Never ever. I promise. Nobody would ever abuse YOUR tax money that way. No siree. Nope.

[longtermmemmory]

OK I remember a CNN comentator when asked how he would be safe, he said he would take the bus everywhere. He commented how this would keep anyone safe from the sniper since it would not involve parking lots or gas stations. Is this enough to suggest that this guy is reacting to the news?

[fone]

I could see blocking exit routes within minutes might be useful. This guy is NOT leaving in a white van -- I'd bet on it.

[Kerberos]

"what good does it do shutting down all roads in the area after the sniper has left the vicinity???"

It's the only thing they can think of to do.

[stuartcr]

Since the sniper is unknown, how do you know he wasn't in the car behind you?

[TomGuy]

Yes, but as you sit home, watching CNN or FoxNews and drinking your warm cocoa, doesn't it give you a warm, fuzzy feeling to know you are being kept safe and protected?

Seriously, I do wonder what the reaction would be if this kind of terrorism began to spread to other cities throughout the country.

[twigs]

A former DC detective suggested over the weekend that the murderer is possibly staying right on the crime scene, maybe wearing a LE jacket. Hundreds of investigators swarm to these scenes and this would be the best place to hide--in plain sight. Then he could get away after the activity dies down.

[thegreatbeast]

I don't understand this either. Remember, those a-hole muslim medical students and their journey through Georgia & Florida? The resources devoted to going through their car and the number of officers at the scene were an obvious waste of money. You could watch for hours on TV as scores of public employees did essentially nothing. Never mind the private citizens that were inconvenienced by the situation!
One of the prime directives in situations like this should be getting people back to work as quickly as possible.
Think of the hit the local economy took today by people not being able to get to work.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

I figured he has about 5 minutes to get away from each scene while the roads are getting shut down.

[jwalburg]

OK, I live dead center in the middle of Aspen Hill sniper central. 15 years ago I lived in those apartment buildings across the street from where the guy was shot today on the Ride-On bus. I now live in the house I built two miles from there, 1/2 mile from the post office where the lady was shot in the head while sitting on the bench out front.

Since you can't get to work anyway, maybe YOU can provide a good map then, or a link to one, so that we can kind of get an idea where this latest one was. Too bad you live in the terror zone, though.

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

A former DC detective suggested over the weekend that the murderer is possibly staying right on the crime scene,

That would be my guess too. He's probably playing hoops right now on the basketball court next to the Ride-On bus.

Well, I guess I'll try to get to work again (now noon). Might end up turning around again, much like the sniper would probably do if he/she came upon a massive, miles long traffic jam, leading up to a road block...

[michigander]

Well, I guess I'll try to get to work again (now noon).

Be sure to be orderly...

A man is arrested (center) by Montgomery County Police for disorderly conduct in Rockville, October 22,
2002. Police said the man created a disturbance during a dragnet that was looking for the Washington area
sniper. A 40-year old bus driver was shot and killed early this morning in Aspen Hill, Maryland, the tenth
death in the spate of shootings since October 2. Local authorites have not yet connected this morning's
shooting with the recent attacks. REUTERS/William Philpott

[rabidralph]

The sniper probably lives in Aspen Hill or in the immediate area that wasn't shut down. One of the retired DC detectives on Fox said that the sniper probably had a motel room close to the various Virginia shootings so that he could just go there and avoid all roadblocks. It took me 3 hours to get to work this morning--two-and-a-half of those hours spent sitting in Bethesda traffic.

[Age of Reason]

I wonder: Should people carry cameras with them at all times--and then all voluntarily pull off the road and stop their cars as soon as a shooting is reported?

In other words, not wait for the actual road blocks to go up.

The people who stopped should then discreetly photograph any vehicle or person that continues on its way.

This until the police say you can move again.

Of course, so many people just sitting there might be easy targets, so it would require a degree of courage to do this.

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

provide a good map

I don't have a link to one but I can tell yo uwhere it was. It's roughly a quarter mile North on COnnecticut Ave. from the Mobil station where the taxi driver was shot. Simply go North on Conn. Ave, cross Georgia Ave and take the next left on Grand Pre Road. It's right there on the right, 100 feet up Grand Pre Rd. The sniper shot from the woods behind the b-ball court, across the street from the post office on Conn. Ave. This is about 2 miles South of the post office shooting. It's about 300 yards from Micheal's where the window was shot (the first shooting?)

One thing about this b-ball court though. It is known to be a drug trafficing area (although not at 6:00am). When I lived in those apts the police used to rent an apartment to stake out the court. Many drug busts there. The funny thing is that the police said that if it were a tennis court rather than a b-ball court the drug problem wouldn't be there... How true...

[Age of Reason]

My suggestion that everyone pull over as soon as they hear of a shooting (or as soon as the police broadcast the request over the radio) would not be different from pulling over to the side at the sound of an emergency vehicle's siren.

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

My suggestion that everyone pull over as soon as they hear of a shooting If this were a normal town that would probably work. But In and around D.C. most people are too selfish/self centered to even think about being delayed on the way to their job, hair appointment, bikini wax, gym, lipposuction appt, face lift appt, etc...

[stuartcr]

If you truly are of a reasoning age, then you know that would never happen.