Parkland School Sheriff's Deputies Were Not Properly Equipped

The following was sent to President Trump, February 26, 2018, on his web page, via a link to this Blog.

We hear on national news and from many sideline critics, including the President, heavy criticism for these four officers, who failed to face an AR-15 without body armor.  Nor were their weapons compatible with this the type of firepower inside the school. Their local Sheriff was also very critical and outspoken about their unwillingness, to confront the shooter. But, did he make sure his personnel had the right equipment, I think not; he should have planned for this kind of a situation. Moreover, here is a man who's department repeatedly failed by not acting on a clear history of a young boy's troubled mind. The FBI did not do any better.

It is my understanding, that the police usually arrives to a trouble spot like this, aided by the 'SWAT' in full body armor, and weapons that can challenge an AR-15. These aids, protections and weaponry were not available to these four officers, now so ill spoken of. Confronting an AR-15 with just your shirt and uniform on your back, and armed with just a pistol, looks to me as an unfair expectation. The probability of being killed in doing so is very high, to say the least, consequently, the probability of any of them stopping the shooter, is not that great.

When I was young I acted, in the face of danger, differently, then I would today as an adult. At the age of nine, I climbed five flights of stairs during heavy bombardment, just to retrieve my mother's gold-watch, she forgot in the panic, while bombs were falling all around us; you might ask me, would you do it again? My answer would be hell no, I am not a stupid kid anymore, I am a thinking adult now; do you take me for a nut? I fully understand why the students involved, consider this a dereliction of duty, by these Sheriff deputies. When we are young we feel invincible; we are convinced nothing can happen to us, at least this is how I felt then when I was young.

As I recall, the Las Vegas Metro Police was also waiting outside of the shooter's hotel room door, until the shooting stopped, before they acted. In situations like this, a 'Freudian Dead Wish' is also not the answer. Yes, the Las Vegas Metro Police waited outside, while calling for the 'SWAT' for assistance; see the reference, and quote below. Now in this particular situation, Metro could have fired through the room door, with a good change of killing the shooter, or at least interrupt his killing more people. They might have been able to shoot from around a corner, with less danger to them; who knows? Certainly, they were far better equipped that these four officers.
Ref. http://www.businessinsider.com/timeline-shows-exactly-how-the-las-vegas-massacre-unfolded-2017-10#1024-pm-police-officers-gather-near-paddocks-room-11

"One message said: "I'm on the 32nd floor. The room is going to be 135."
Another said: "It's room 135 on the 32nd floor. I need the SWAT."
It would be almost another hour, however, until officers would break into Paddock's room."

So please, let us not be so damning, after all nobody wants to commit suicide, in their right mind.

Added 2/26/2018
 Ref. https://www.denverpost.com/2018/02/23/sheriff-deputy-villified-lack-of-action-parkland-shooting/
Here is what professionals had to say.
"Most people are familiar with the classic psychological responses to threat: fight or flight. These evolutionary responses are found throughout the animal world.
“What police are called on to do is not natural,” said Ellen Kirschman, a clinical psychologist who has worked with police departments across the country for more than 30 years. “Instead of running away from danger, they [are expected to] run toward it.” [added by me]
But police psychologists often encounter a third path: a freezing response."

"Officers involved in controversial shootings often experience a sense of betrayal, she said. “The betrayal makes the experience much harder. You feel betrayed by the community you risked your life to protect. Betrayed by your own friends in the department. Betrayed by the administration that’s throwing you under the bus,” Kirschman said."

“The funny thing about police departments is that when you’re recruited, police are told, ‘We have your back.’ The family in blue and all that. But in high-attention situations like this, you see departments quickly turn against their own officers when they need support most.”

“This is a problem we see among trained law enforcement professionals. What’s impressive is that most of the time they don’t freeze. They’re able with training to do their best in a situation,” said Miller, who is regularly brought in to counsel officers after shootings. “Now imagine putting teachers in that same position. It’s a recipe for disaster. It’s not just a question of them freezing or not, but who becomes liable when teachers react poorly and end up killing a student?”