SCHOOL PARKING LOT NO PLACE FOR POLICE DRUG WAR

Mercifully, no children were harmed Tuesday when a San Joaquin County drug
agent shot at a suspected drug dealer in the parking lot of Osborn School
in Turlock.

It started when another undercover officer saw the suspected dealer, whom
he had been trying to make a deal with, in the parking lot. The man waved
the officer in. And in he went, not realizing it was a school parking lot.
That doesn't say much for the officer's ability to recognize the ubiquitous
temporary buildings that dot so many school campuses. It's a lesson in
opening your eyes to your surroundings, in thinking one step beyond the
immediate.

Had he realized it was a school, he wouldn't have gotten out of his car and
begun the always dangerous situation of trying to make a buy.

That's when the dealer tried to rob him and when the officer providing
backup, who had followed in another car, started shooting at the suspected
dealer. Fortunately, the suspect dropped his gun and ran, along with a
companion.

One was caught immediately, the other not until more than an hour later.
School administrators reacted quickly, making sure children were locked in
their classrooms and told to take shelter under their desks. The
administrators and teachers are to be commended for acting swiftly and
effectively to keep the children out of harm's way while the manhunt went
on around the school.

This time it was a bad scare, but no one was hurt. Let's hope there isn't a
next time, which law enforcement officers can help prevent by being alert
to their surroundings even while closing in on their prey.