Police did the right thing in lockdown

My letter is in response to Dee Freeman's letter, printed on Feb. 15. Ms. Freeman, during the time that picture was taken, the local area law enforcement officers did not know which student had a gun. All they knew is they had received a report of a student on campus with a gun. In order to protect the students, staff and officers, all the kids had their hands up, NOT to promote the idea that they were criminals, but to keep their hands in sight in case one of them DID have a gun. Let's look at it from another perspective: IF the officers had not taken that protective step, and the student with the gun was in that line, and pulled out that gun, and started shooting ... what would have been said THEN? Perhaps someone would have made the comment that until the gun was found, or it was believed no gun existed, a report of a student with a gun on campus has to be taken very seriously, and all appropriate protocol followed. I also hated to see those babies walking with their hands up, but in the name of safety for everyone, I think it was 100 percent appropriate and I applaud the police.

Rhonda McBride
Yuma