Abstract
The columbine shootings of 1999 remain among the most horrific school shootings case in American history. Instigated by two high school classmates, Dylan and Eric, their intention and reasoning for the shootings have not been demystified to date. The massacre by the two young men left 13 people dead and 23 wounded. However, a thorough review of the FBI reports reveals some adversaries. The primary one was the threat factors that incorporated the actors’ access to ammunition portraying a lax in the school’s administration and the prolonged response time by law enforcers to declare the school under control. From the lack of safety efforts to neglect the portions of warnings before the assaults, the school policies vulnerabilities also made the threat conceivable. While it may have been just a killing spree by the two teenagers, the watershed event shaped the way law enforcers respond to active shooters’ incidents and also changed a myriad of policies.
The key issue to be examined: Police tactics before and after the incident
The notable key issue regarding the incident was the lack of immediate action rapid deployment tactics. On the fateful day, a 911 call was made after gunfire erupted, and SWAT teams arrived 47 minutes later. By the 13th minutes of the initial 911 call, the assailants had fatally killed a teacher and the 12 students before committing suicide (CNN Editorial Research, 2020). On arrival, the police set up a perimeter around the scene of crime enthusiastically, hoping to contain the shooter. This tactic of “confine and wait” could have given the shooters more time to harm.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
A brief explanation of the problem or issue
As a profound issue, prior to the Columbine incident, ‘‘active shooter’’ was not an understood term (Muschert, 2019). The police were not moving swiftly upon the sound of guns, and law enforcement circles were not a popular practice. Nowadays, the police aim at methodologically interdicting the shooter because the shootings require them, to engage in a confrontation before the threat comes to an end. In the Columbine case, the first responders did not isolate, distract or end the threat when the shooters were active. Clearly, the shooters never cared if there was an apprehension ahead; thus, they committed suicide.
Topic relationship to the learning outcomes outlined in this syllabus
This topic is related to the learning outcomes outlined in module six regarding the policy considerations pertaining to school violence, the proposed gun controls and spearheaded amendment of law enforcement practices. For instance, after the incident, officers are now fully trained on the force of handing “active shooter”. The traditional training on negotiating a peaceful end to an incident was not meant for today’s active shooters but for offenders such as hostage-takers and bank robbers. With new threats, such as old-time talk-and-tactics, responses are no longer effective (Muschert, 2019).
Topic relationship to criminal justice
The topic is related to criminal justice because it touches on examination of police responses during active shooter situations and mass violence, which falls under the crime control function of criminal justice. As revealed by the present trends in, law enforcers make moves in a diamond patterning, with the assistance of appointing man, two flankers, and a rear. As a lesson from the Columbine School mass shootings, law enforcers no longer wait outside but move rapidly because, after all, they have been adequately equipped with rapid response techniques. They act with brevity and confront the shooters, not worrying about the booby traps and bombs (Robinson & Ingold, 2001). As noted in the policy process readings, the process is not a rational one but rather a political process. Evaluating the effectiveness of the existing policy reforms to drive change requires overcoming numerous constraints (Clemons & McBeth, 2017). However, notable progress has been evident in the police departments since the Columbine shootings.
Conclusion
While gun violence is a complex and multifaceted problem, school violence is a modern component of criminal justice and a social problem. The latter has triggered the amendment of school policies for mitigating such occurrences. The reduction of firearms in the community and schools has also been a raging debate in a bid to reduce criminal misconduct. Gun ownership policies are yet to be considered upon the realization that usage increases the odds that any possible violence would result in a fatality. Schools have put countermeasures in place in readiness for any acts of mass violence. The measures include enhanced school security. The post-Columbine lessons on police tactics saved lives in other school shooter situations that followed, such as Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School incident.
References
Clemons, R. S., & McBeth, M. K. (2017). Public policy praxis: A Case Approach for
Understanding Policy and Analysis. New York: Routledge Publishers.
Editorial Research, C. (2020). Columbine High School Shootings Fast Facts . CNN. Retrieved 26
May 2020, from https://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/18/us/columbine-high-school-shootings-fast-facts/index.html .
Muschert, G. W. (2019). Afterword: the Columbine effect on culture, policy, and me. Journal of
contemporary criminal justice , 35 (3), 357-372.
Robinson, M., & Ingold, J. (2001). DenverPost.com - Columbine Tragedy .
Extras.denverpost.com. Retrieved 26 May 2020, from https://extras.denverpost.com/news/col030701b.htm.
