I don’t know about the Rules of Engagement in this situation but it would not take a five-star general to see the gravity of it and the need to quickly resolve it. This did not involve a bolo-wielding street guy with just one or two hostages. There was a former police officer with an M-16 and perhaps a load of ammunition who could swiftly wipe off all his hostages with a swing of his automatic weapon. He was very much armed and dangerous. Any clear opportunity to contain him should have been taken when his imposed deadline had lapsed and no clear positive resolution was in sight. The snipers should have accomplished their job much earlier. What's the life of one deranged person anyway compared to 22 others and our (already suffering) national image?
A lot of questions have been thrown after the tragedy: Did we send the best negotiator? Who was giving orders? Did the police have full control of the situation?
The answers to all these questions would help us understand what went wrong. I am particularly concerned about the last because I believe everyone contributed to making the situation worse – the police, the media, and the public.
Hostage-takers are desperate in getting attention – that’s what they primarily need in order to sound off their grievances. If we make a hostage situation a media circus, then the hostage-taker thinks he has succeeded in his goal.
The media’s presence in a hostage situation can be a boon or a bane. It depends on how the police are able to control them and not the other way around. The media, for instance, should be kept at a distance from the crime scene and should not get hold of sensitive information that could jeopardize the negotiation.
The “curious” public should also be held off. How a bicycling man was able to get near the bus was indicative of how loose the police cordon was. Those claiming to be relatives and friends of the people involved in the hostage-taking should be restrained from making a scene of their own.
We trusted that our police could guarantee that no life would be lost at the end of the hostage crisis. We had experienced so many of this that we never seemed to have any doubt. They say nothing can go wrong as long as there is negotiation and that there is virtue in patience.
What we did not realize, however, is that sometimes we cannot afford to wait for the end to come, especially when so much is at stake. It is a judgment call - a tough one to make. But we have to, or it will be too late.
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