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| Gov. Timothy M. Kaine |
By Christina Nuckols
The Virginian-Pilot
RICHMOND -- Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has proposed a plan to give families of Virginia Tech shooting victims greater access to members of the review panel that is assessing university and law enforcement officials' response to the massacre.
However, families are reacting cautiously to the seven-point proposal, and an attorney representing some relatives said there is no final agreement.
“We have not finished our negotiations,” said Thomas Fadoul, a Vienna attorney representing some of the families. “There’s many gray areas, and they’re just not fine-tuned enough.”
The proposal includes a provision giving families the right to protest directly to the governor if they are unhappy with the work of the panel.
Under the governor's plan, the Virginia Tech Review Panel would designate one member to serve as a liaison to victims’ relatives. The liaison would be Carol Ann Ellis, director of the Fairfax County Police Department’s Victim Services Division.
Ellis has agreed to contact every family in person or through a staffer to hear the relatives’ concerns and take questions about the review process.
Families also would receive biweekly e-mails from the panel explaining what issues are being studied and what topics will be in the group’s final report. The chairman of the panel, Col. Gerald Massengill, also would meet personally with families to discuss the group’s progress.
Families would have the right to request that the panel consider new issues, or revisit topics for a more thorough examination. If they feel their concerns are not being addressed, they would have the right to file a “notice of objection” directly to Kaine.
Kaine also agreed to look for ways to improve campus safety at Virginia universities this fall as part of the agreement.
While some families say the proposal represents an improvement they are concerned that the details remain vague, making it difficult to determine whether the new arrangement will actually increase their access to panel members.
Families said they remain concerned that the panel’s final report will not criticize university officials for their actions during a two-hour period between the first and second shootings on campus April 16.
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We need an unbiased report
What I get from what the families are saying is that they want the report to include and say certain things, especially criticism of the university and police. If this is done without sufficient evidence to support such statements, that report would be no better than if it was written by a panel which did no investigating at all. I believe that there is blame to go around but if anything, the shooting could have prevented before it started, by hospitalizing Cho or incarcerating him, rather than reacting after the first shootings occurred. The logistical nightmare is obvious and is not certain to have mitigated any of the killings.
Guilty until proven innocent
Guess some, even though all of the facts are not yet known, have found the officials at Tech guilty. I would like to know what the did wrong? Not closing down the institution? Guess the accusers have not been there lately. Try to close down Suffolk
Families and lawyers
The families have lawyers. That says it all. No investigation can succeed with dozens of untrained, novice people involved especially given the families have a biased perspective to start off with. Having a bunch of lawers involved just makes it worse. Kaine is trying to be sensitive but with the lawyers involved it is turning into a fiasco. Make them wait until its conclusion and give them the report first. That's all required.
Not Gonna happen
This is a very highly respected school. These families can forget them criticizing the school for their delayed reaction to the handling of a madman on campus. I'm sure they may address ways to try to perhaps handle other future events that might take place differently. They will most likely not be finding fault with the university officials. They will be very much try to shield them from any blame. To heal from this tragedy it would not hurt this respected school to accept some blame that perhaps lives may have been saved if it had notified everyone involved what had occured earlier sooner. People could only have more respect for this fine school then.