By Katherine Ramsland

Emergency Personnel Respond at VA Tech

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Given the shocking nature of the Virginia Tech massacre last April, the number of people killed, and the likelihood of others being inspired to imitate it, officials knew it was imperative to undertake a study to see if future such incidents could be prevented. A state panel that pursued this difficult mission released its report on August 30. There's good news and bad news, and both rely on the growing field of risk assessment. The first level of evaluation relates to the killer, the second to the institution. Both pinpoint communication flaws as the heart of the problem. We'll take them one at a time.

The questions under investigation was:

• who was Seung-Hui Cho?
• how did his plan to massacre other students escape notice
• are there factors in the incident that can be effectively addressed for change?

Seung Hui Cho

Governor Timothy M. Kaine appointed the eight member panel to study all facets of the incident in which 32 people died, and they concluded that there had been failures in the system all down the line. A troubled student like Cho should never have been left to his own devices, for one. Those who knew about his troubles could have better alerted the university. His fantasies and behaviors signaled to even the untrained eye that he was likely to attempt some type of violence. He was enamored of the Columbine incident, he was a loner who expressed extreme anger, and he was unstable.

While we don't ascribe to a "Minority Report" situation, in which we'll incarcerate or immobilize a person who shows a potential for violence, we might be growing lax about the collection of red flags that we know signal plans for mass murder. A concern for privacy is fine, but no one has an unconditional right to it. Social welfare must be a factor as well.

Diane Strickland was on the panel, and she interviewed forty-four people, including Cho's closest relatives, faculty who knew him, and acquaintances. She also read all of the tormented writings he left behind after killing himself, along with other documents. Yet still she said, "I don't feel that I know him." She saw his insecurity, his immaturity, and his withdrawn nature. She read about his lists of favorite things. She did not read anything from his computer hard drive, which was missing from his room when authorities checked. But she certainly realized what his grievances were. The whole world did.

Also analyzing the situation was Roger DePue, a former FBI profiler and author of Between Good and Evil.

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