Panel To Focus On Roles Of Media, Police, Schools In A Bomb Crisis

Wed., Oct. 27, 1999

From Staff Reports

What if a bomb went off in your child’s school? How would the emergency be handled? When would you hear about it? And what would you want to know?

On Thursday, a group of lawyers, police officers, news reporters and school administrators will talk about what would happen if such a crisis occurred in Spokane.

“We’re using the panel discussion to learn about how information gets out when you have an emergency like the ones that have occurred in schools lately,” said attorney Duane Swinton, who will lead the discussion.

“When people pick up the paper, how did that information get there? Who was it filtered through?” Swinton said. “How do you release information that won’t panic the public but you still get the information out?”

The forum is being sponsored by Spokane County Bench Bar Press, an organization of lawyers, judges, law enforcement officers and media representatives who meet quarterly to talk about how they do their jobs.

Thursday’s discussion will explore the roles of police, the media and the schools in handling a bomb crisis at a school.

The forum is scheduled from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Spokane City Council chambers in City Hall at Post and Spokane Falls Boulevard.

It is free of charge and will be open to the public.

The group of experts and members of the audience will react to a bombing scenario presented by Swinton, who practices media law.

Panel members will be Gary Livingston, Spokane District 81 schools superintendent; Paul Bastine, Spokane County Superior Court judge; Kevin Blocker, Spokesman-Review reporter; Roger Bragdon, Spokane’s acting police chief; Paul Brandt, KXLY news director; Steve Tucker, Spokane County prosecuting attorney; Laurel Siddoway, Spokane attorney; and Mike Fitzsimmons, KXLY radio talk-show host.

Also participating will be a parent whose child attended Sacajawea Middle School last year when a series of threats disrupted classes.

KXLY radio will broadcast the forum live.

First, at 5:30 p.m., KXLY radio will air an ABC special, with host Catherine Crier, about intolerance among young people.

The show will include teenagers from Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., where 14 students and one teacher died last spring during the nation’s worst school shooting.

IF YOU GO The forum is scheduled from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the Spokane City Council chambers in City Hall at Post and Spokane Falls Boulevard.

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