Breaking : Lovingston : Bomb Threat @ Middle School – scene cleared @ 5:45 PM EDT

Thanks to your ever vigilant reporting, I at least now know why I was run off Rt. 151 this afternoon around 4:30 by an unmarked SUV and sedan. I was heading south just past the BP station when they ran up behind me with lights flashing and I mean they came up FAST!!!

The safety of our school kids and faculty is no doubt important, but I can’t help thinking that 151 is no place for a high-speed chase. These guys “threaded the needle” on a double yellow line with traffic coming both directions. And they just kept doing it for as long as I could see them which, given their speed, wasn’t terribly long to be honest. Didn’t we just have a horrific accident on this road?

I’m reluctant to criticize our public servants, but this was pretty scary behavior.

We agree Mary Ellen.

Having been a cop for years, long before ever moving to Virgina, we were permitted to run emergency traffic only in a critical life situation. Now, I don’t know what authorities were told, what I can tell you is what we observed. Kids sitting on the lawn of the school as though there was no immediate danger. Had it been a clear danger the kids should have been totally evacuated from the area. It’s standard procedure in campuses across the country. I even assisted in the plan for several of them. If it was a clear and present danger to life, run emergency, otherwise, you are right in your assessment, this area is way too limiting to be barreling through as you described.

The situation was contained and running emergency traffic in this instance was careless and reckless. If an accident had occured there would have been lots of explaining to do, lots.

Your eyes didn’t deceive you, we saw the unmarked SUV Durango weaving in and out of traffic along Route 6 in the same unsafe manner. At least a fully marked car is more visible when running emergency traffic.

Again we have no way of knowing what the officer(s) were told so they may have been simply responding to what information they were given, but it would have never flown in my previous departments, never.

You have to understnd that police, fire and rescue are advised that a threat has been issued. They need to scure the scene ASAP. now if the school chooses to leave the kids on the front lawn, or even allow them to go back into the school that can not be controled. I feel that the students shoudl be moved to a safe area, Police, Fire and Rescue shoudl secure the location ASAP and people need to adhere to the law that when an emergency unit approches move off the road safely. The uinits you are talking about are the State police, I can’t answer for them, but I know if I am responding ( a fully marked unit) I would expect people to safely move out of my way. What if it was real, what if your child was in need. Now I do have a problem with breaking news of this being posted so fast, all this does is encourage students to do it again and again. We should not be promoting their actions, If they are cought they should be charged to the fullest extent.I understand you have the rite to post news, but at times we may need to get all the facts and see if this is something we want posted.

Thanks for the follow up Ray.

I agree with you in much of what you say. You guys first responding do have to secure the scene, quickly. You did and I have no problem with that. My issue comes in that once the scene is secured, as it was, that other units still fly like a bat out of hell an hour later. I think that’s probably what the original poster was saying in so many words.

As far as the evacuation of the school I understand that may not be coordinated with you as responders. It should be, but many times it’s not. Almost every modern plan on campuses today highly discourages exiting students from the schools to either the front lawns or stadiums. Jonesboro, Arkansas in the 90’s is a prime example why. I worked with many law enforcement and security officials after Heath High School near Paducah, KY, Jonesboro, Pearl, MS and others on this very problem. Again, as you say and admittedly I don’t know, the circumstances here specifically. We were not trying to get into the details of this event, rather advising the public of why they were seeing all of the activity. I can tell you in a conversation last night with a colleague of mine who is the head of security on a campus in Florida, he too was bothered by what I described. I won’t go into the logistical details here because I don’t want to, as you say, give someone ideas or encourage the behavior.

I did this Ray, I actually was responsible as an administrator, for the actions of people in the field in before leaving law enforcement. Believe me, I have more respect for you guys than you will ever know. You really don’t have the perspective until you have been there, so to speak.

As far as the reporting, that’s another balance that we had to make a tough call on. After law enforcement and in our television news careers, we almost never would report bomb threats. As a matter of general policy we didn’t report them for the very reasons you gave. However, in this instance with the close proximity to 9-11 and the fact that we were getting phone calls from people passing by the school wanting to know what was happening, we did post the story. Information is a touchy thing. I agree, this can sometimes encourage the behavior. Trust me we don’t make it a policy of reporting bomb threats. This case and one other I can remember are exceptions.

Unfortunately the post 9-11 world we live in now will never be like it was for any of us, media, law enforcement, the public. I has become a very changed place.

But never, never, mistake our comments here for not admiring and respecting what you guys do. We do a lot, as I said I have been there.
-T-

Ray,

VA TECH had bomb threats before Cho went on his spree.

Cho posted a threat on the door to Norris Hall, before his killing spree there. Unfortunately a teacher gave it to a janitor instead of the authorities.

Now, parents and the public aren’t supposed to be informed and alerted to the same regarding their minor children?

I know of other incidents of guns being brought to the school that never made it to the public.

Forgive me for not having confidence in the school and first responders being able to protect my child from harm. Obvious, from the 32 dead at Tech!

Maybe their’s someone in the public that knows something and can share that with authorities. But unless they were aware of the threat at the school might not think twice about the info.

Here’s another view of the Tech Tragedy hidden from most citizens:

http://newsblaze.com/story/20070904084927tsop.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html

Then we have Glen Becks latest series this week on the “Perfect Day” where terrorist are targeting schools and school buses nation wide.

We’re at war in our culture and internationally. Our children are at risk. How bout we work together to protect ourselves, our children and our way of life. The enemy has first responders outnumbered, in order to win we need to work together.

First responders and the government work for the citizens. Unfortunately, it appears more and more they work against us.

Let’s not allow the element of surprise to be in favor of the enemy again!!!!!!!!!!

United we stand divided we fall!