Intro to terrorism (Catherine Owens only)

To increase your knowledge of the field, research and write a paper about the Columbine shootings.

On April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, two students of that school, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, carried out a premeditated assault against the staff and students. Thirteen individuals were slain, and dozens of people were injured. Police and sheriff units arrived on the scene within minutes from a number of different agencies, along with SWAT teams, and state and federal law enforcement agents. Yet it would be hours before the incident was contained and the dead and injured were brought out of the school. It was a senseless, merciless situation. The only thing more brutal than the incident itself was the criticism of the way the police handled the situation, and, quite frankly, the criticism was justified.

For your writing assignment, I want you to begin by telling me why the police response was criticized. Was the IMS used? If so, what amount of success did it have? If not, why not? What things do you think the police did wrong or handled incorrectly? After explaining to me what happened and the problems with the police response, I want you to use what you have learned in this course and write the protocol for the "next" Columbine. In other words, were this to happen a month from now, I want the police to be able to use your paper to tell them how to respond to and handle the call, with the primary concern being , as always, to save as many lives as possible while putting as few lives at risk as possible.

This assignment must be a neat, professional presentation. Proper punctuation, spelling, and usage of grammar are imperative.