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Originally Posted by CoLawman
I have some insight into the rescue attempt and am familiar with the Jefferson County SWAT Team. Jeff Co was called in as Park County Sheriff Department, whose jurisdiction Bailey is situated, is a small agency with no SWAT. Jeff Co is a Metro agency that borders western and southern Denver. Park County is on their south border.
A couple of things that came into play:
The badguy had released hostages during the ordeal who supplied information to LE. This information included;
the fact that the badguy was sexually assaulting the females.
The method and extent to which the room had been barricaded, to include desks and chairs being piled up in front of the door.
His stated possession of a bomb.
His stated deadline to kill the remaining two hostages.
This was not some impromptu taking of hostages. The entire scenario had been scripted by the badguy with his goal being an instigated gun battle with LE to the death. (His handwritten manuscript detailing this will probably be released)
The point of entry was selected by determining which entry point would offer the least amount of impediment to the target while minimizing risk to the hostages. 2X4's and Drywall or a door with furniture stacked up.
I believe it will also be discovered that this was not a single explosive entry. I think you will find that there were two simultaneous points. I think you will also eventually learn, through official channels, that diversion was used ( as suggested in a previous post.)
I too was upset that a small girl was killed. I was even mad at Jeff Co SWAT for awhile, thinking.........what if my little girl. When the smoke cleared I came to the realization that in a rescue attempt, such as this, there is no room for error. Absolutely no room for error. The cards are stacked in the favor of the badguy.
Which one of you can honestly say, putting yourself in the same position as the badguy, that you would not be able to get off a shot as SWAT was coming through the wall or door. Some of you could get off several well placed shots even on a perfectly executed entry.
It was a difficult task performed by men willing to take that bullet for the little girl. Men who have daughters near the age of the victim. Each of them will live with feelings of impotence. But were they impotent or were they given a mission with a low probability of complete success. I think the latter. In fact, SWAT actions by their very nature have low probabilities of success.
As a side note this school was built after the Columbine incident. Special architechural designs were implemented to address just this scenario.
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All that being said, if it were my daughter I'd demand the teams training records, breaching trainingg records and schools attended with emphasis on who attended the breaching school and who taught it.
I'll say no more. (Joe Public is on his own.)
Team Sergeant