Release the Sandy Hook report

An editorial from the Hartford Courant:

It’s been nearly five years since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., but the state police still haven’t released a report evaluating their response on that day.

With mass shootings showing no sign of slowing down in this nation, any insights into the best policies for police response would be welcome, especially insights gained by those who investigated one of the deadliest school shootings in United States history.

The after-action report could be of particular value to rural and suburban police agencies that don’t have the resources or training that major metropolitan forces might have. A forthright and critical self-analysis should provide perspective on issues that, sadly, could present themselves to another small town.

For example: Should the officers who first arrived at Sandy Hook have stormed the school? What are the potential risks and benefits of that tactic? Did police properly clear the school before proceeding with their investigation? Was access properly controlled immediately after the shooting?

The answers might never be clear, but any guidance, any wisdom that could be gleaned from lessons learned at Sandy Hook will be invaluable.

The Connecticut Department of Public Safety must reexamine its priorities, complete the report and release it to the public.

News of another mass shooting came from rural northern California on Tuesday afternoon, where a man randomly shot people at an elementary school and other locations before being shot by police. It drives home the importance of learning from these incidents. Police must be armed with experience.