Tense situation turned out well for all involved

Reporter Connie Jo Discoe was on the scene for seven hours, taking photos and videos, missing lunch and supper, afraid to leave lest she be unable to get back in.

It was not like she had anywhere to go; Connie's home was on the same block as the house involved in a daylong standoff after a shot was fired at officers and an ambulance crew.

Some observed that authorities seemed to be exercising an overabundance of caution, waiting to obtain a search warrant, calling in a SWAT team from North Platte, locking down the schools.

But those same critics would be the first to speak out if the situation would have turned out badly. Before we offer a critique, consider this: How many of us have to live with the possibility of someone shooting at us as a routine part of our job?

From our perspective, the tense situation was handled well, despite the inconvenience of neighbors like Connie, parents who had to pick their children up from school, readers whose newspapers were delayed and athletes and fans who had to skip a game Thursday night.

At the very least, it was a good chance for law enforcement and emergency personnel to put their training into practice, ironing out bugs that might help them bring the next incident to a positive conclusion.

It also turned out best for the man in the house who was taken safely into custody. Let's hope he is kept there until we can be assured he is no longer a danger to himself or others.