The Monday morning quarterbacking came surely and swiftly on a Wednesday afternoon following an incident near the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus when an individual was spotted with a gun.
As it turned out, the individual was a Chattanooga Police Department officer carrying his rifle from his vehicle into his home to sleep after his shift.
Before all was said and done, and the officer even wound up looking for himself in the search, public schools were locked down, reports were made of a person in a ski mask and tactical gear, roads were closed, other reports said a suspicious person was wandering through UTC’s Fletcher Hall and numerous people went into panic mode.
The incident, we hope, will bring reviews of actions taken by the Chattanooga Police Department, the UTC police department, UTC administration, parents and students.
Since we weren’t privy to every decision that was made about the event, we wouldn’t suggest anyone did anything wrong. But the reactions of those on campus following the incident were enough to suggest that 1) much misinformation, probably well-intended, was disseminated by many, and 2) if policies are in place about a potential shooter on campus, they all weren’t adhered to, were ignored or were not known by individuals needing to know or make safety decisions.