Case Study on "Theater Shooting the Term Crisis"

Case Study 20 pages (5857 words) Sources: 15

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Holmes himself displayed a unique hair style as it was dyed a bright orange. Many have alluded to that fact that Holmes was trying to portray the arch enemy of the title character of the movie named the Joker.

Holmes was heavily armed; "Police say Holmes, 24, dressed head-to-toe in protective tactical gear, set off two devices of some kind before spraying the Century 16 theater with bullets from an AR-15 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and at least one of two .40-caliber handguns police recovered at the scene." (Pearson, 2012). To complicate matters before the shooting Holmes apartment had been booby trapped and set with explosives. This would be another important obstacle in the crisis management aspect of this event.

Holmes was arrested behind the movie theater shortly after the shooting in a supposed dazed state of consciousness. Holmes was charged on 30 July with 24 counts of first degree murder and 116 counts of attempted murder for the events that unfolded at the movie theater. Holmes is portrayed by the media as mentally unstable and suicidal. It appears that he obtained all of his gear legally, "Investigators found a 12-gauge shotgun, an AR-15 assault-style weapon and a .40-caliber Glock handgun. A second Glock was found in Holmes' car, and authorities also removed a combat helmet, duffel bag, an ammunition magazine and a vest. The guns were purchased legally from local stores, and Holmes bought more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition online, legally, the police chief said," (Brown. 2012).

The ending is yet to be written on this case study as there is much to be learned from the trial of James Holmes that is upcoming. He has plead that he was insane during these attacks and will most likely help him in the long run if the accounts of this tragedy are true. There is however substantial evidence to comment on the aftermath and crisis management efforts that were put on display as a result of this terrorist attack on the movie-going population of Denver, CO. The events of this case seem to be an extreme lack of humanity and not typical in anyway of the human species. For these reasons it is valuable to see how law enforcement agencies and response teams react in these types of situations as they test their mettle to highest and most extreme degree of competence and commitment.

Eventually it is up to those responsible for managing crisis to take the lessons learned in this incomplete case study and transform it into something valuable and worthwhile. When faced with extreme crisis many within the field of law enforcement and criminal justice take on super human qualities that demonstrates the inherited courage that rests within the soul. It is unfortunate however that it takes the worst in society to bring out the best in society in many cases and mass shootings should not be indicative of how life in a civil society ought to be lived and managed.

Literature Review

Due to the extreme nature of these events in Aurora, CO much has been written on the subject of James Holmes and his infamous "Batman" terrorist attack that saw the killing of 12 innocent people. There are mixed and differing opinions on many issues, but in particular the response of the law enforcement agencies has received both praise and extreme criticism for their handling of these events on the night of the shooting. The literature review will examine a variety of opinion and factual recollection to help summarize and make sense of the response issues that are present within this case.

Different aspects of the case will be approached to help provide a wide and objective examination of the evidence that is available for research and educational efforts. Unfortunately, due to the incompleteness of the case itself as the world awaits the trial of James Holmes, this literature review also will suffer from incompleteness due the future chapters that will be unveiled and written about in the near future at the time of his trial.

Prevention

Crisis management is often thought as a way for law enforcement officials and other criminal justice organizations to assist after the fact. In reality the best management strategy is thoroughly based in the idea of prevention. Bernstein (2012) agreed with this approach to crisis management as he investigated ways mass shootings can be prevented. He wrote "In the years I have worked in crisis management almost all the comments by clients about shooters have been about how they would respond. Unless I brought it up I can't recall anyone talking about how they would try to avoid violence in the first place."

Deterrence is a practical means to preventing crisis in many ways. In the case of the Aurora theater incident not enough signals were picked up on during the time when this tragedy could have been prevented. The idea is to recognize behavior in the pre-attack stages. "According to the FBI, 81% of the time before a mass shooting the shooter gives clues to others of what he is planning. Vernon says there is NOT a single profile that fits the shooters, but there IS one thing they have in common: similar behaviors."

Colorado is not a stranger to mass shootings and violence of this particular kind. The Columbine High School tragedy of 1998 suggested that this community, which includes Aurora and the greater Denver area is susceptible to these kind of attacks. An obvious need to prepare law enforcement officials, both local and federal for these types of attacks in this area appear to been more necessary in the deterrence aspect of this case study. Ferner (2012) pointed to certain ideas on the similarities of these attacks as he focused on the guns themselves as the ultimate cause for this senseless murders. He wrote "in a state like Colorado, which despite having the dubious distinction of being the home of two of the nation's worst mass shootings in recent history, it may be more difficult than it seems to sway public opinion in the Centennial State toward increased support for gun control." Unfortunately the politicizing of guns and assault weapons has done little to effect of crisis management.

Simpson (2012) suggested other parallels between the shootings that some would believe would help criminal justice organizations become more prepared for such shootings especially in areas that are more prone to gun violence and rebellion. The author wrote "Both attacks appear to have been the result of careful planning and stockpiling of weapons, and produced similar death tolls. Both unfolded in places where many young people were likely to be victims -- in places that are so much a part of everyday life that, until something horrible happens, people give little thought to safety."

In some aspects these types of shootings cannot be prevented by criminal justice or law enforcement agencies, their demands are too broad and too difficult to expect any type of long lasting and enduring success. The recognition that society itself is inherently a dangerous place, with many risks and challenges, will certainly help people psychologically grasp the lack of force in which law enforcement agencies can have in predicting and ultimately preventing such terrorist attacks that are performed with such obvious disregard for human life, truth and compassion.

Preliminary Investigations

Another aspect of this case study deals with the frequency of crisis in today's modern world. It is obvious to most that terrorist attacks of this kind occur much more frequently than we would like to admit. Each incident has its own particular characteristics and own specific set of circumstances and details. Familiarity with these events should provide law enforcement agencies some advantage in management of crisis of these types of crimes in the near future. Along with the events themselves, training and education of these types of shootings should at least reasonable assist in training leaders within these criminal justice organizations to finding better solutions in the problems that they face.

In the time since the shootings many investigations, both internal and external from all facets of the institutions involved in this case study have been commissioned. There is also much secrecy behind the investigation as new gag order laws and restrictions have been placed on the information, making it difficult to ascertain any substantial facts about the case in many ways. Illescas (2013) explained how outside involvement in assessing the performance of the management of the crisis can be beneficial and even mandatory. He wrote " Aurora's City Council is reconsidering launching an outside review of the city's response to last summer's theater shooting after halting it in February at the urging of the district attorney. Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler sent a letter to the Aurora city attorney, urging the council to scrap the outside probe until after the arraignment of alleged theater shooter James Holmes because it potentially caused problems with his… READ MORE

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