[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[r9etb]

Shut down roads after sniper left, WHY???

Offhand, I'd say because they can't shut down roads before he kills somebody.....

Seriously, it takes time for police to get to the roadblock locations. Some might be up and running within a minute, others will take longer. If they're as far out as you say they are, then 15 minutes isn't all that long a time. Probably the bad guy gets caught in the backup just like everybody else, and getting past the roadblocks is part of his thrill.

[Steve_Seattle]

I'll be very surprised if the sniper is apprehended by means of a roadblock after a shooting. By the time police are informed of a shooting, 3-10 minutes have passed, giving the sniper plenty of time to get out of the immediate area via back roads. Or, as some have suggested, maybe the sniper just stays in the area and has a cup of coffee at Denny's until the roadblocks are lifted. The best hope we have is that someone who knows the shooter and has suspicions will come forward with a meaningful tip.

[Redcloak]

Quite simply, the police shut down the roads so that your neighbors will think that they're actually doing something useful about the sniper. But we all know that this guy picks his spots so that he gets out of the containment area before the roadblocks go up, or he has a convenient place to hole up within the containment area. In either case, he's not going to be driving a white van, box truck, or ox cart past a roadblock any time soon.

[Dick Bachert]

BY JOVE, I THINK YOU'VE GOT IT!!

[TheLion]

Since police have no idea of who they are looking for, they are stopping all males. They have no idea if this guy will be on the road. Road blocks are a waste of time and resource. Police need to get out of their cars and be on foot all over the place. He probably hangs around the area til it's all over. We could have volunteer citizen patrols. They need to start thinking out of the box on this one. Just showing up after the fact and putting on a good show, just ain't getting it done! It's becoming a total waste of time watching the media.