The mass killings at Columbine High School in suburban Denver, in April 1999, inspired deep soul-searching across the United States. The search for lessons to be learned from the tragedy has extended, as well, to the law enforcement and emergency response communities. This case provides a dramatic account of the details of police, fire, and emergency medical response to the reports of carnage at Columbine. It is designed to raise the central questions relevant for any such emergency: why did the response take the form it did and could matters have been handled better? In the process, the case illuminates the manner in which the decentralized United States law enforcement system functions under conditions of extreme pressure and minimal information.

When a jury acquitted four Los Angeles police officers in the famous, videotaped beating of a black motorist stopped for speeding, the decision sparked shock, outrage and, in short order riot in the city's African-American South Central section. The six days of unrest that ensued left a staggering toll: 54 dead, more than 2,000 injured, and property damage of almost $1 billion. This case describes the law enforcement response to the riot, raising, in effect, the question of whether, through a different type of response, the unrest could have been controlled more quickly and damage and casualties minimized. The case provides, in some instances for the first time, a detailed look at both the plans and responses of specific law enforcement and emergency response units including the LAPD and fire department, the LA County Sheriff's office, and the California National Guard. It describes key assumptions which proved faulty, problematic inter-agency coordination, as well as heroic individual efforts by some within those departments, which helped restore order.

Supplement case for KS1025.

Supplement case for KS1025.