Alert in the social media age
By CRAIG NORTHRUP
Staff Writer
As the last few hours of July 4 bled into the early hours of the next morning, people reached out to social media to ask questions about the shooting in Coeur d’Alene City Park.
“I’ve seen Facebook posts saying people were shot and one was killed. Any confirmation?”
“Did you hear anything about the shooting?”
“Were there victims of the gunman or was this local boy the only person shot making him the gunman?”
Many reported on social media that they ran, ducked for cover or hid when gunshots rang out just after 10 p.m. that night. As police fired on the alleged shooter, Tyler Rambo, striking him 10 times in the legs, many onlookers feared for their lives.
Many more had no idea what was happening.
Despite living in the most connected era in human history, a life-and-death situation near the shoreline went unnoticed by thousands on the beach, in the park and on the streets downtown.
“I’m hearing rumors of a local boy being shot.”
Capt. Dave Hagar of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department has seen more than his fair share of dangerous situations in his career. He spoke with experience about the precious few seconds that decide the lucky and the lost in a gunfight.
“We make every attempt to engage the public as soon as we can,” Hagar said. “It’s important the public is informed. It’s important we’re open and transparent and making sure the public is safe.
“It’s a balancing act,” he added. “How can we let the public know when something life-threatening and urgent is going on nearby without sending out misinformation or causing a panic? These are the questions we have to assess whenever something like this happens. In this case, like in most every case where a shooting occurs, securing the scene and apprehending the suspect while protecting the public were the top priorities. In a perfect world, we would have all the facts the instant the first shot was fired. But that obviously isn’t possible, unfortunately.”
“But in this situation,” he said, “any kind of alert system wouldn’t have mattered. This thing was over in under a minute.”
“Details are starting to trickle out.”
An Amber Alert is the product of interagency cooperation between law enforcement, broadcasters, transportation agencies and the wireless industry in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Native American reservations, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and 30 other countries. It exists specifically to interrupt radio and television broadcasts, overtake digital billboards, pause internet traffic, plaster search engines and even pause website advertisements to let everyone — everyone — within a certain perimeter or jurisdiction know a child was abducted.
Amber Alerts use millions of connected mobile devices. When an Amber Alert happens in your area, your phone will let you know a child’s life is in danger.
This happens because of technology called the Wireless Emergency Alert program. Headed up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, these alerts also inform the public about disasters like hurricanes that are about to make landfall. The Wireless Emergency Alerts also can be used for local emergencies, like the July 4 shooting, but the problem is delays.
Not in delays apprehending the suspect. As Hagar said, the July 4 shooting began and ended in less than a minute. Rather, the delays arise from the time it takes to send a message from an officer on the scene to local law enforcement’s central dispatch to the FEMA communications system and then to your cellphone.
“Agencies may choose to send out emergency notifications,” said Sandy Von Behren, director of the Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management. “Those usually happen when there’s something dangerous happening in the community that takes a long time to resolve: hostage situations, standoffs, things of that nature. You want to warn the public if there’s a dangerous situation that could impact their safety, and they need to stay away.
“But to do that,” she added, “it has to be cleared through FEMA before it’s released. By then, minutes may have passed. Our 911 will have to receive the call and alert dispatch. The responding agency will have to go out and assess the scene. That could take some time, depending on what’s happening. Then someone would decide to send it to FEMA, and then FEMA would have to clear it.”
This is why Von Behren — and others charged with maintaining public safety — urge the use of tools like “Alert Kootenai.” Similar to Amber Alerts, Alert Kootenai notifies cellphones and landlines registered by customers when major events transpire. People can register their number online or by calling the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office to enroll. When a protracted and dangerous event happens, the county will notify those on their list with properly-timed and accurate information in an effort to minimize panic.
Still, Von Behren warned, any alert system likely would have made little difference on the night of July 4.
“Sometimes things happen so quickly, like with that [July 4] shooting,” Von Behren said, “it might not be a useful tool.”
“Let them do their job. Probably wise not to spread ‘rumors.’”
“The more informed you are,” Von Behren pointed out, “the better. But misinformation is not good, and social media is a perfect example of that. Social media can be advantageous, and we’ve used it to our advantage. We always want to inform the public in as many ways as possible.”
She cited the difference 150 years can make.
“Abraham Lincoln won the election,” she pointed out. “I forget how many days it took [to certify the election], but it was a week and 14 hours before anybody on the West Coast knew about it. Today, it takes a second.”
She added that misinformation in the days of the Civil War wasn’t nearly as dangerous as misinformation today.
“If somebody posts something wrong,” she said, “somebody else reads it, and they tell somebody, and that person posts it, and then somebody else reads it. It spreads, and it can create a real panic.”
That can be dangerous, she said, “especially if someone is reading the wrong information while a shooting is still active.”
Dale Eller knows about active shootings. As safety manager for the Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene, he drills his staff on the worst-case scenarios imaginable.
“When it comes to active shooters,” Eller said, “what you need to remember is, it can happen anywhere.”
Eller, too, recommends Alert Kootenai above all else. The Kroc Center, he said, uses a private company to alert members and visitors of threats to the area. He added many apps are available for the public to download that can help family and friends track each other’s whereabouts in the event of an emergency, as well as helpful services through wireless providers. But he stressed keeping yourself safe trumps keeping yourself informed.
“When you’re in a dangerous situation,” he said, “follow the run-hide-fight principle as best you can. Move away from the area as quickly as possible. Know where your exits are. Know where you can hide. Know if the bathroom doors are unlocked and open.”
Eller added that, when law enforcement arrives on the scene, don’t hold anything in your hand that could be confused with a weapon. That includes cellphones.
“You need to communicate with family where you’re going to be at,” he said, “and always have your cellphone. But when police arrive, tuck it in your pocket. Don’t let police mistake you for a shooter.”
Eller said the best way to protect yourself from confusion between you and the police happens before an incident ever occurs. “Build relationships with your community law enforcement,” he encouraged. “When the police arrive on the scene, let them do their jobs. Let them know what’s happening. Be a good witness. But let them do their jobs. Law enforcement — especially in this community — can be counted on.”
“The best thing you can do to get the information you need,” Hagar urged, “is to sign up for Alert Kootenai. Rely on your judgment, but keep also yourself informed. That’s the best way to stay safe.”
To sign up for Alert Kootenai, visit www.kcgov.us/alertkootenai or call 208-446-1850.