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Rock-
Actually, it's neither of the above. Picture this: you're a cop on patrol. Call comes in; "Shots fired at local school"...your daughter's school. You arrive on the scene and there's a hostage situation in progress.
Here's your choices:
1) Charge into a large, open building where every hostage looks exactly like every perp. They're running and screaming, many coming straight at you...for protection? To attack? You're getting reports of shots fired at the north end, in the cafeteria, on the east side; Kids are down in need of immediate medical attention. You can't hear anything on the radio with the noise. 60 seconds down and you've covered every bit of 700 sq ft of a 700,000 sq foot building....gonna be a real long day.
2) You establish a (1 man) perimeter, gather as much intel from those exiting as possible and wait for backup/command/communications.
Guess what the results will be? Unknown, except in your case. No matter what you do, we can be fairly certain that you'll be crucified in the after action reports....by your superiors, the parents, the media. Maybe even your colleagues. That's what you're facing in that moment of decision. It's not like a battlefield, where there is such a thing as "acceptable losses".
My own feeling...make it policy that first one on the scene goes in...NOW. 'Course, that's easy for me....the blood of my neighbors' children won't be on my hands (or yours). Besides, no two scenarios present the exact same.
The point is that it's real tough to create a firm "rule" or "policy" in these cases. Either action can result in massacre. No one has a pat "answer", but I'm sure glad the local gendarmes are at least wrestling with the appropriate questions.
Rich
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