Serious question. Every news source I have seen on the subject comes up with some new stupidity committed by some damn body. The sheriff's Dept, the school, the school board, the county commission et al didn't just screw the pooch they buggered Brutus Blind. Even for LWNJs this may be a new low in basic competence. Can anyone find anything thing that they did which was verifiably justifiable?
It's the dominant thinking today, that Broward County from beginning to end did
not cover itself with glory. However, no one has mentioned what I believe, which is that this is standard operating procedure all over the country, and the only thing that fouled up the county process was that this guy actually turned out to be a shooter, which most of the young men they check on "in crisis," don't. They might have put him in a mental hospital if they had had one, but they really don't anymore.
In all the dozens and dozens of calls the police and others made to deal with this kid, nobody died or was hurt because of his actions. Except the last time. There was loose talk of him maybe stalking, maybe threatening his girlfriend's new boyfriend, but I bet these complaints are a dime a dozen in this age group. He was expelled, but lots and lots of kids are expelled. He pounded the walls, he yelled, he threatened, he talked about guns ---- but they all do it, by the hundreds. What are the police supposed to do? We know they repeatedly went in there and calmed the situation, but he had a support network, a family gave him a home and fed him --- I bet they thought it was because his mother died, at least the latest stuff, and hoped he would grow out of it.
He didn't actually commit a crime, until the last day. Like Harris and Klebold at Columbine: they didn't commit crimes, either, until the last. Most of these crazy kids don't. Ever. So the police really can't do much ---- where would they put him? He didn't actually commit a crime earlier. I think they have to just hope they'll be lucky, and they usually are.
Though not this time.
