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Editorial: Learning from Florida tragedies to prepare for the next one

 
McKenna Post holds a rainbow flag as her mother, Randa Black, hugs her during a vigil at Lake Eola honoring the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., Monday, June 12, 2017. A gunman opened fire at the nightclub one year ago in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, killing 49 people. (Loren Elliott/Tampa Bay Times via AP) FLPET225
McKenna Post holds a rainbow flag as her mother, Randa Black, hugs her during a vigil at Lake Eola honoring the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., Monday, June 12, 2017. A gunman opened fire at the nightclub one year ago in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, killing 49 people. (Loren Elliott/Tampa Bay Times via AP) FLPET225
Published June 23, 2017

Two reports analyzing how police responded to the deadly shootings at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and the Fort Lauderdale airport are expected to be published later this year. While there were heroic efforts made by law enforcement officers in both cases, there also are questions that remain about judgments made in the midst of chaos that these reports should address. The goal should be to learn from what worked and what did not in the responses to these attacks to better handle such situations in the future and limit the loss of life.

A draft of the Fort Lauderdale report from the Broward Sheriff's Office became public earlier this month and was highly critical of the department's own response. Chaos and confusion hampered the response as roughly 2,000 officers from across South Florida swarmed the airport in response to the January shootings, the report found. The gunman fired for only 90 seconds, killing five and wounding six before he was apprehended by a deputy. But it took hours for authorities to restore order, and the situation was complicated by rumors of another shooter. The draft report, which has been criticized by local Broward leaders, describes a laundry list of issues, including delays and confusion caused by the response as well as unnecessary trauma for witnesses held in a spot where they could see the shooting victims. The report also details the lack of coordination between different agencies, evacuation routes blocked by cars left by responding officers and poor radio communications making it difficult for responders to receive accurate information.

While the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando last year is still under review, a recent journal article provides hints at what it may recommend. The Police Foundation, a nonprofit selected by the Justice Department to conduct the Orlando review, had three officials publish a journal article last month on the police responses to mass shootings in San Bernardino, Calif., and Orlando. The Orlando police did follow best practices for hostage situations at Pulse, the article states. However, they also write on the need for "some traditional practices to be realigned and enhanced" to improve safety. They acknowledge the debate on treating terrorists differently in a hostage situation, saying "it may be appropriate to develop specific protocols for hostage events during terrorist attacks." Orlando law enforcement officials have defended treating the situation at Pulse, where 49 were killed by a lone shooter, as a hostage situation rather than one that required a more immediate response.

The reviews of both mass shootings are continuing, and the findings should be studied by all law enforcement agencies. In an age where terrorism and mass shootings can occur anywhere, the goal should be to learn from past tragedies and better prepare to respond to the next threat.