I know there is a great need for blame after a tragic incident such as the happenings on Monday on the VT campus... HOWEVER, I want to state my SINCERE OBJECTION to the almost immediate attack of the VT president, staff, police department and provost regarding the time frame involved in notifying the student body and putting the campus on Lock Down.
The VT PD as well as the local police responded within minutes of the initial 911 call. They locked down the dorm the first shooting occurred in. IT APPEARED TO THE HEAD OF POLICE at that time that it was an ISOLATED INCIDENT.
There was nothing to say otherwise. So WHY would anyone believe that putting the campus on lock down and or alerting the 25 thousand OTHER students immediately would do anything more than just incite panic and unnecessary questioning of officials and school staff? If the officials have to consistently take time out of the investigation to settle fears, answer specifics, and or speculate... how will that further their investigation?
I haven't heard one student, not immediately following the tragedy and not through the extended interview process, that AGREED with that line of questioning. EVERYONE of them, (And I have watched just about ALL the coverage on this event) said something to this effect...
'I have to believe that the officials made the appropriate decision based on all the information they had at the time. It made sense that they thought the shooting was over at the dorm room.'
I feel terrible that this is even the topic of a blog post of mine... but I'm frustrated that in this time, the media in particular, would look to crucify the hierarchy of Virginia Tech.
And I don't think that pointing the finger at an institution that serves to educate, care for and protect the students on a daily basis while they are away from their families... should be attacked. Especially when they did exactly what the FBI or CHIEF OF POLICE would have done were this to have happened in a city.
According to an interview done on CNN- were this very situation to have occurred in an apartment in any given city- at no point would officials have believed they should EVACUATE the block, city, etc. They would have secured the apartment complex, interviewed other occupants within the complex and focused on the investigation at hand. There would have been no indication that additional slaying would occur.
Alright- I'll let this one go now. I really just needed to get that out. And to be honest, I don't expect that anyone read past the first paragraph.. but as I've stated before and will probably state again in the future... this blog is therapeutic and so when issues are pressing... I resolve them here. :)
Yes, the facts of the time line stand unopposed-
7:25am Two students killed in the A.J. dorm facility
9:26am Email sent to student body alerting them of the A.J. dorm incident.
9:45am 27 students, 3 professors killed in the Norris facility.
Almost immediately following... Campus Lock down.
No one ever used the campus loud speaker. No one contacted each student by cell phone. No one sent out student body text messages.
Here's my rant-
7:25am Two students killed in the A.J. dorm facility
9:26am Email sent to student body alerting them of the A.J. dorm incident.
9:45am 27 students, 3 professors killed in the Norris facility.
Almost immediately following... Campus Lock down.
No one ever used the campus loud speaker. No one contacted each student by cell phone. No one sent out student body text messages.
Here's my rant-
The VT PD as well as the local police responded within minutes of the initial 911 call. They locked down the dorm the first shooting occurred in. IT APPEARED TO THE HEAD OF POLICE at that time that it was an ISOLATED INCIDENT.
AN ISOLATED INCIDENT!!!
There was nothing to say otherwise. So WHY would anyone believe that putting the campus on lock down and or alerting the 25 thousand OTHER students immediately would do anything more than just incite panic and unnecessary questioning of officials and school staff? If the officials have to consistently take time out of the investigation to settle fears, answer specifics, and or speculate... how will that further their investigation?
So here, unbeknownst to anyone- this tragic event continues... and despite each interviewed student on whichever news channel, the interviewer always lead the student with this question,
"Did you also feel that the school shouldn't have put the campus on lock down immediately following the first incident and or should have notified the student body quicker?"
"Did you also feel that the school shouldn't have put the campus on lock down immediately following the first incident and or should have notified the student body quicker?"
I haven't heard one student, not immediately following the tragedy and not through the extended interview process, that AGREED with that line of questioning. EVERYONE of them, (And I have watched just about ALL the coverage on this event) said something to this effect...
'I have to believe that the officials made the appropriate decision based on all the information they had at the time. It made sense that they thought the shooting was over at the dorm room.'
I feel terrible that this is even the topic of a blog post of mine... but I'm frustrated that in this time, the media in particular, would look to crucify the hierarchy of Virginia Tech.
SADLY... UNFORTUNATELY... IRRECONCILABLY- this happened.
And I don't think that pointing the finger at an institution that serves to educate, care for and protect the students on a daily basis while they are away from their families... should be attacked. Especially when they did exactly what the FBI or CHIEF OF POLICE would have done were this to have happened in a city.
According to an interview done on CNN- were this very situation to have occurred in an apartment in any given city- at no point would officials have believed they should EVACUATE the block, city, etc. They would have secured the apartment complex, interviewed other occupants within the complex and focused on the investigation at hand. There would have been no indication that additional slaying would occur.
Alright- I'll let this one go now. I really just needed to get that out. And to be honest, I don't expect that anyone read past the first paragraph.. but as I've stated before and will probably state again in the future... this blog is therapeutic and so when issues are pressing... I resolve them here. :)
My prayers are with each and every individual impacted by this terrible tragedy. I pray the Lord would meet each one where they are in this very moment with His love and peace.
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