Christopher Whitcomb '81, a former sniper on the F.B.I's hostage rescue unit and now head of a security company, contributed an op-ed to The New York Times (4/20/07), titled "Building a Better Lockdown." In it, he questions how, despite studies, symposiums and the adoption of crisis-response protocols in the days since Columbine, a calamity like Blacksburg can happen.
Whitcomb wrote: "The most obvious reason, and one that's been widely discussed in the days since the shootings, is complacency. Well, we can wring our hands all we want, but to some extent complacency is unavoidable: it's what sneaks in after all the blame has been handed out, the news media have disappeared, the critics have taken their shots and the political knees have stopped jerking."
In the op-ed, Whitcomb provides advice on steps that every institution should take to prepare for and deal with such an attack, including establishing a crisis response plan, providing a "check-in" number to call in an emergency, and compiling site surveys of buildings.
Whitcomb is the author of three books, Cold Zero, Black and White. In 2003 he lectured at Hamilton about the war on terrorism.
