![Burlington Vermont police]()
Is it possible to pull off a citizen's arrest on a law enforcement officer on account of inducing panic?
Because holy hell, that is for sure what certain members of the Burlington Police Department in Vermont did while recently hosting high school students for a lesson on their premises.
As part of the class, students bore witness to a demonstration of a mock shooting scenario in which a masked gunman entered the room. Only problem was, the impressionable teens — who live in a nation where school shootings haven't exactly been uncommon — weren't given a heads up that this was happening.
Seven Days reported on the stunning news.
https://twitter.com/sevendaysvt/status/1798756822964465762
Burlington PD issued a response to the situation. According to the statement, there was prior correspondence with the school district to coordinate the class. The police department asked if it was OK to run the mock shooting scenario. The school district rep gave the green light, and said parents and students would be forewarned.
There's blame to go around the school for clearly not giving parents or students a heads up that this scenario was coming. At the same time, the way it was reportedly presented by the police department, the fake shooting was sprung on the students without any indication that the exercise would be the next beat of the lesson plan. The simulation also featured loud gunshots.
Seven Days spoke to a traumatized student who said, "I’m shaking and crying because I'm like,
Oh my god, I'm gonna get shot... It felt so real."
Think about how awkward this must have been: Per the report, students didn't know the shooting wasn't real until realizing that the other officers in the room didn't make any effort to stop the mock shooter.
Not to, like... kick the Burlington Police Department while they're down, but their
police chief, Jon Murad, was just reappointed by the mayor amid impassioned opposition. Part of the reason? Murad once allegedly
threatened to arrest a medical doctor who was treating a gunshot wound in the ER. Let's just say between that, whatever other issues locals have with him, and this mock shooting exercise, it's a good bet Murad will only face further scrutiny.
All the adults involved in coordinating this class clearly dropped the ball. Bottom line is, simulating a shooting with an actual masked gunman and loud sounds of gunshots in front of any group of students in the year 2024 is tone-deaf any way you slice it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9PKyxsPxOo
