Sunday, December 16, 2012

Why were the police so late to the scene?


Despite the large number of mass shootings in recent years, never once has the police been on time to engage the gunman - not in Aurora, Columbine, Virginia Tech, and not Newtown.
One remembers TV images of police hiding behind their cars at Columbine, even while the shooting was happening inside.
In Newtown, the police department at 3 Main Street is just 2 miles from Sandy Hook Elementary school. Certainly there would have been patrol cars close by the school - why didn't they react sooner?
There needs to be an investigation as to the true timeline of events and whether there is a reluctance to go into a dangerous zone.

According to the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20738998), the timeline reported by police is:
But at about 09:30, Lanza forced his way into the school, police now say, contrary to earlier reports that he had been let in.
....
Newtown police were notified of shooting at the school over their radios at 09:36.
"Caller is indicating she thinks someone's shooting in the building," a police dispatcher said.
"The shooting appears to have stopped," the police dispatcher radioed at 09:38, according to the New York Post. "There is silence at this time. The school is in lockdown."
Did someone really take 6 long minutes to dial 911? And when did the police arrive?

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