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Charles L. Cotton wrote:

nightmare69 wrote:Cops used to roll with 38 revolvers and a shotgun if you were lucky back in the day. With the gangbangers packing AKs that will punch through a patrol car from bumper to bumper you can see why we the police are matching force. I believe most would think different if they had to stand fast outside at the door knowing the bad guy is in the bedroom armed and waiting for you to cross the threshold. You wanna go in old school with just a wheel gun and a koga baton be my guest.

Why are you resorting to such an absurd comparison? Now show me how many LEO's have been killed with AK's. Show me the LEO's that have been killed when shot through the door of their patrol unit. I've never said LEO's shouldn't have patrol rifles, but there is no place for full auto or burst fire weapons on a school campus. There's also no reason for you to have military vehicles either.

nightmare69 wrote:If something happened at the campus I would be going in by myself as I am the only officer there. Sure I would call local LE but I'm not waiting if people are dieing. Im throwing on my heavy armor, grabbing my go bag and my AR then going to work. You want to pick apart my military style gear or operator tactics later in court or armchair quarterback it to death be my guest, my mission is to stop the killing period.

First of all, you shouldn't even be on campus. Schools should not have private police forces, not public schools or private schools. If there is a need for police presence, then it should be provided by the local police department, or the county sheriff's department, if the school is in the unincorporated portion of the county. Having a school police force is far more expensive than adding additional officers to an existing force. It also guarantees the school officers will never be as experienced as city police or county deputies. The chance of you having to deal with an armed suspect, be in a shootout, deal with a barricaded suspect, handle a domestic violence call, or any number of other situations a city police officer or county deputy face on a regular or semi-regular basis is almost nonexistent. No campus COP will ever have the opportunity to gain the experience, thus the expertise, possessed by city police officers and county deputies. This isn't an indictment of you or your dedication; it's a fact of life. When I was a Friendswood Police Officer, we were a small town (still are). I had far more experience handling various types of crimes and criminals than any campus COP in the State. That said, Houston Police Officers handle far more different types of calls in one week than I would see in a year. Putting aside the unjustified expense of a separate police department for schools, why in the world would we as a society want inexperienced officers handling an active shooter on campus, when far more experienced officers are available?

As for you being the only person to enter a school with an active shooter, the fix for that isn't arming you with military equipment; it's arming students and faculty. You're going to be too late to the party. Even if the shooter is still alive, too many unarmed people are going to die while you dawn your gear and get into the building. You can have to best intentions in the world, but you can't help when you aren't there.

Chas.