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Shooting At Columbine High School Case Study

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RUNNING HEAD: Columbine

The Shootings at Columbine High School:
A Case Study Analysis

Chris Surfus

Grand Valley State University

PA-520 Foundations of Public Service

Professor Neal Buckwalter

November 1, 2012
The Shootings at Columbine High School:
A Case Study Analysis

Introduction The “Shootings at Columbine High School: The Law Enforcement Response” case, in Richard Stillman’s Public Administration: Concepts and Cases, Ninth Edition, covers the Columbine High School law enforcement response to the mass murders committed by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Columbine High School is located in Littleton, CO, which is situated in the center of multiple jurisdictions. The case raises management communication …show more content…

Oral messages are more likely to be miscommunicated and misinterpreted than written messages. Stating “female down” is not an appropriate way to communicate, as the listener has no idea what actually occurred in the incident. Stating that a female had been shot and is paralyzed would have been more effective. The communication technology used is important and should be incorporated as part of a public communication strategic plan. There were a number of communication issues, and these issues related to the poor initial assessments of the incident. As previously mentioned, the usage of differing communication technologies created issues. Additionally, the unfamiliarity of the type of incident created misperceptions, as school shootings weren’t common. The fire department chief thought the paralyzed individual was a victim of a drive-by shooting, while the Sheriff Deputy thought the victim was in a car accident. Ray Rahne, the Littleton Fire Department Battalion Chief, didn’t know about the firefights on the other side of the school. If Rahne knew, perhaps Harris and Klebold could have been stopped before more bloodshed occurred. Rahne called for police assistance, but none came. Medical personnel did not have bulletproof vests, and they could not communicate on the radio system with other

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