First thing I heard about the commotion at Chattanooga State was there was a possible gas leak then CPD had received a "credible threat" of possible violence at Chattanooga State campus. Next thing you know it looked like half of all the first responders in Chattanooga were deployed to the campus and it was locked down. Next thing you know they found no "credible threat", no gas leak, no violence, no nothing.
It would seem to me their definition of a credible threat is not very demanding. Seems like a car or two could have been dispatched to check it out before sending out half the police force over nothing.
Now they are offering counseling for people traumatized over it all. What a crazy world we live in today!
Sam Lewallen
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Sam, I really think that we would much rather have an abundance of caution and quick response to possible threats than your proposal. Mass shootings happen often enough that we have plenty of data points that show more lives are lost when the police don't respond quickly.
Furthermore, we have seen lives saved in mass shooting events because of a quick response by the police - like the one in Nashville, for example.
Many people in this city are on Chatt State campus everyday and I personally am thankful that keeping the campus safe when there are threats being made was taken seriously.
Byron Spencer
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Jeeze, Sam, it's almost like they overreacted to the very minimal information you had heard vs. what the supposed attacker told the call-takers in real-time. Before you armchair quarterback the first responders right as/after an event occurs; take a breath, be grateful you weren't on campus (either as a student or responder), pray for all, let the professionals handle it, and then look back at what training you may or may not have taken.
In the meantime, let the professionals handle this, as there is A LOT more information about what was going on than you may ever know. But you can always join one of the academies and "fix the problem" you think exists, from within.
Michael Hailey