Communication is a major requirement in any emergency. Lack of, or lax communication procedures may prove to add more salt to injury in regards to the emergency at hand. This is proving in the Columbine school shootings where 12 people lost their lives.
Open communication posed a problem where the police was involved. They held interview with TIME magazine, which came out later as a communication glitch after the unexpected appearance of the article just days before the Christmas holiday showing them holding the actual murder weapons in their gloved hands. This is painful to the victims’ relatives.
Accuracy in communication also proved a problem when the police issued impromptu and inaccurate estimate on the day of the shootings that “up to 25 dead.” Public speculation on the shooters’ friend as a possible accomplice to the attack was unprofessional. The friend later on turned out to be the one being threatened by the shooters.
Negligence played a big part in communication hitches regarding the shooting. This was evident since one of the shooter (Harris) actually had a website that issued a threat to kill a fellow Columbine student, and that he and Klebold were building pipe bombs. This should have called for a formal investigation. None was ever made. This was despite the two shooters having been arrested before on charges of stealing a van. The shooters’ parents were also negligent in failing to monitor their sons’ actions appropriately. In addition, the 911 dispatcher gave bad advice to teacher Patti Nielson when she told her to keep students in the library, rather than to seek escape through an emergency exit. School officials, including the principal, knew Harris and Klebold had violent tendencies as evidenced by their writings, videos, and other schoolwork, but did nothing to intervene.
Wrongful death was also part of the communication problem. This is due to the delayed response that cost the life of Dave Sanders, who was injured and saved if medical attention had been administered to him at the right time. The police deputies preferred to wait for the SWAT rather than go after the shooters. Moreover, the deployment of the SWAT proved a hindrance since it took them too long to find the victims and the chaos, may have impeded the emergency saving.
Incompatibility of communications systems among different agencies, and the fact that responders did not have immediate access to current maps was also a major setback to better communication.
These communication problems could have been avoided if proper guidelines were followed. For example, the two shooters had a history with the authorities where they had previously stolen a van. They also had a website that talked about killing a student and making of pipe bombs. The school authorities and the police should have worked hand in hand to find the underlying cause of the story.
Availability of the school map should have been accessible to the security authorities, as this would have made it easier to launch an invasion in regards to which points are best concealed and safest to enter through. Maps therefore should at all times be readily available from many sources in case of the main source not being accessible.
Holding of interviews with media must be with great caution as this mainly goes out to haunt the victims’ relatives. This is to avoid lawsuits that usually arise due to privacy invasions. Also, any info leaving the concerned department should be accurately checked and verified to avoid creating unnecessary panic.
Security personnel in learning institutions should be well trained to handle such situations instead of waiting for higher ranks to come and assist. Schools should have a security check for at least metal products. Though this is debatable, it goes a long way to enhance security from guns. The CCTV surveillance should be independent of any other source with a secure power line.
Counseling should not just stop because the counselor finds a student to be fit again. Follow-ups should be made at all times to make sure that all is actually well. Also, bullying in schools should be a strictly punishable offence as this is a major cause of a situation like the Columbine school shooting. Just like the government, a school needs trusted spies to bring accurate info at all times. Though this will be mainly rejected, it goes a long way in finding out actually what your students are planning or if there is any worrying situation to investigate.
References
Stillman, I. I. R. J. (n.d.). Public Administration - Concepts and Cases.
Garnett, J. L. (1997). Handbook of administrative communication: []. New York, NY [u.a.: Dekker.
