Miscellaneous

Lessons Learned (and Unlearned)

By Anne Skove, Esq.

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the Columbine killings. The nightmare that played out that day marked the way we view many things, particularly security issues.

Dave Cullen, a journalist who covered and uncovered much of the tragedy, has written a book, Columbine. Accompanying the release of the book and the anniversary are several excerpts, interviews, and reviews.

One of the best is by Cullen himself: The Four Most Important Lessons of Columbine, Dave Cullen, Slate (April 16, 2009). These lessons may be of interest to school administrators and parents, but courts can learn from them as well:

• 1. There is no definitive profile of school shooters.


• 2. Kids make no small plans. The plots are intricate, and the plotters usually tell someone.


• 3. Emergency preparations are key. Emergency drills have become as common as fire and tornado drills in schools across the country. Do courts do the same?


• 4. Columbine revolutionized police response tactics to combat (literally) what are called active shooters. The old goal: surround the building. The new protocol: stop the shooters.

See also Columbine Response at Issue, Howard Pankratz, Denver Post (March 3, 2001).

Full post as published by court-o-rama.org on April 20, 2009 (boomark / email).