“Bad, bad idea,” Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said Tuesday. “Bad enough what happened — somebody could have gotten killed. Just think of the potential things that could have happened with this — it’s frightful.
That wildly understates the extreme stupidity of what took place at Catholic Charities in Omaha in May. The great minds who run that operation had hired someone to stage an active shooter drill, complete with a man in a hoodie firing blanks and “victims” lying on the ground with with fake bloody wounds.
But Catholic Charities’ managers didn’t tell any of their employees it was going to happen.
When the time came to choose someone to conduct the “drill,” Catholic Charities hired a self-described “citizen police officer” who also happens to be an alleged abuser of young women as well as a child pornographer.
From the Omaha World-Herald . . .
Catholic Charities’ compliance coordinator, Carrie Walter, and Security Director Mike Welna agreed on April 28 to pay [John] Channels $2,500 to conduct the training. Walter stated the idea of conducting an “active shooter” training “had been discussed for some time … due to having the new facility open … which contained a domestic violence shelter.”
Walter said she and Welna had little idea how to go about organizing such training, so they yielded to a security guard’s suggestion of hiring Channels. Channels had claimed to have conducted other active-shooter drills and claimed that law enforcement “would be present during the training event and would even participate and ‘play along’ with the scenario.”
“Walter stated that Channels planned to start by shooting victims outside of the office windows and doors to be viewed by employees, then make his way through the building (with keys provided by staff) hoping to cause employees to flee from the building or hide,” Mois wrote. “Walter stated Channels specifically stated he did not want the Catholic Charities staff to be informed that the scenario was only a drill and wanted to feel as though they were in danger.”
Catholic Charities of Omaha Executive Director Denise Bartels, totally unencumbered by the thought process and employing a mind-numbing lack of foresight, approved the un-announced drill…and ran it five days after the Buffalo supermarket shooting.
It probably isn’t necessary to list all of the ways this stunt could have gone horribly wrong, but a couple of big ones that immediately come to mind include an armed employee opening fire on the faux shooter, frantic calls to 911 — police were not notified of the drill in advance — and a responding officer shooting and killing Channels (or wounding bystanders).
Kleine said it’s also hard to imagine what was going through Channels’ mind: Was this some kind of video game cosplay he found exciting? Channels operates the Exousia Protection Agency that, according to its social media posts, specializes in home security and firearms training. …
Authorities said Channels asked employees after the training whether they had guns for protection; he also shared a business card encouraging them to pay for his firearms training class.
“It’s hard to figure out what possibly could have been his intention,” Kleine said. “He obviously wasn’t someone who took into account the issues or problems that could have resulted from doing it in this manner.”
Ya think?
Channels has since been charged with five counts of making terroristic threats and one count of “weapon use.” That’s in addition to charges he’s facing for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl and producing child pornography.
The county won’t be charging any of the incompetent fools who run Catholic Charities. Attorney Kleine says that’s a civil matter…and you can bet it will be. Some employees were so shaken up they still haven’t returned to work more than three months later.
Intentionally endangering and inflicting that kind of trauma on employees won’t play well in front of jurors. Catholic Charities is going to be writing some very large settlement checks in the near future. It’s difficult to understand why anyone who had a hand in making this clown show happen still has a job.
Just… wow!
It’s all fun and games until Denise starts sending out emails related to “training”.
This is one example where death by power point may have been a better option before the live fire drills.
I’m from Bellevue & completely missed this story, likely because I was recovering from back surgery at the time.
Don’t they watch “The Office”? At least in Omaha, no one appears to have had a heart attack.
Did anyone cut the skin off the face of the CPR mannequin?
Channels tried, but didn’t realize it was his own foot until he’d almost finished.
WOW,,,
Can’t fix STUPID, & yes , they WILL be paying for this trauma they caused, on the people.
Not only that, I personally wouldn’t trust someone who looks so much like a pervert anyway.
You can, in fact, fix “stupid”. It’s called a vasectomy.
Or the more extreme form–chemical castration.
“Catholic Charities is going to be writing some very large settlement checks in the near future.”
Heck, I don’t even live in their state and I want to sue them.
stupid stupid stupid, and dangerous.
Carrie Walter and Security Director Mike Welna, also need to have their butts kicked to the curb for doing this.
That organization is engaged in trafficking illegals into and throughout our country. They are working with the socialists to destroy our country. Do not support them.
That organization is engaged in trafficking illegals into and throughout our country. They are working with the marxists to destroy our country. DO NOT SUPPORT THIS ORGANIZATION.
This is still a lie; replacing “socialists” with “marxists” doesn’t change it.
The actual issue is that Catholic Charities doesn’t make a distinction between people; they help immigrants, period. And due to religious freedom issues, the government can’t compel them to identify and report illegals (any more than they’ve been able to compel states to do the same). It’s a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” situation where no matter what Catholic Charities does they will be violating someone’s ethical standards, so they choose not to violate their own.
One may as well accuse the Texas Department of Public Safety of aiding in illegal immigration because they rescue people trying to swim across the Rio Grande or hiking across the border in desert areas. Yes, they are technically “helping” illegal immigrants, but the reality is that they are engaging in basic humanitarian care for others.
The only remedy I can think of to the situation — which BTW doesn’t just involve Catholic Charities but a bunch of other not-for-profit entities — would be to authorize the immigration authorities to enter facilities that are housing immigrants in order to check identities and status. Unfortunately the immigration and border patrol people don’t have the personnel to do that.
This, BTW, is why I always say that the BATFE should be disbanded and all the agents transferred to the Border Patrol — where they could do something useful to earn their exorbitant salaries.
That’s a total lie. Catholic Charities works to help immigrants with basic needs, including teaching courses aimed at acquiring U.S. citizenship (which they don’t quite require, just highly recommend). This includes illegals occasionally, but they do not help illegals enter the country and do not try to shield them from law enforcement.
In fact their basic premise could be stated as “all men are created equal” and should thus be treated with the dignity appropriate to individuals created in the image of God and redeemed by the blood of the Son of God.
That’s not true Ed.
They do not help illegals enter the country to remain here illegally and do not shield them from law enforcement and they are not trafficking anyone.
Its true they try to help immigrants, some what we call ‘illegal immigrants’ sometimes, but its simply, basically, humanitarian aid and services type stuff and its not trafficking them into or through the country.
LOLOLOLOLOLOL! What did Bugs Bunny say?? What a maroon!
Plus, that guy’s eyes are way too close together.
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!
FAS
“FAS”
It takes one to know one, eh, ‘minor’?
*snicker*… 😉
in his case it’s fasfap.
FAS is eyes too far apart. Too close together indicates inbreeding.
A crooked nose indicates getting your inbred ass kicked for being an idiot.
“in his case it’s fasfap.”
His mom was drunk when pregnant with him, and he yanks it all day, every day?
Geoff,
Are you inquiring about the idiot “trainer”, or about MinorIQ or dacian the demented dips***???
“Conducting Active Shooter Drill” = stupid BS. All after is even more stupider.
You don’t tell potentially armed people that the person with the gun is running a drill and isn’t real unless your trying to get someone shot.
This was a Catholic charity. The likelihood of an armed person being present is very low.
Having said that, it is NOT zero.
Channels needs to be put in a dark secluded cell and kept there.
Carrie Walter and Security Director Mike Welna – these two are dacian and Albert Hall stupid, plain illogical dangerous thought processes and logic stupid like Democrat politicians and anti-gun.
Carrie Walter and Mike Welna need to be fired, and then have their butts kicked out back. If there was a criminal law they could be charged with they should be charged and prosecuted with that as well.
Aside from the (fake) blonde hair, she doesn’t LOOK terribly vacuous. Probably just the average unthinking American who has never been challenged by real life. He, on the other hand, looks dumber than a box of rocks. I guess you can’t always judge a book by the cover, but if it looks stupid, it’s probably stupid.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody with that big a head and that small a face.
they hatched the plan and authorised it so they are part of it.
Reckless endangerment, anyone?
If someone HAD been armed and decided ti “intervene” there would be dead people, and the buck would stop at the top, with these two “manglers”. Squeeze me, I meant managers.
This is democrat party level stupid.
Does anybody still belong to the Catholic church?
pretty sure the pope left.
he is “left” alright….. as sinister as they come. And as fake.
I’m catholic.
Wow this is the dumbest chit I’ve seen SO FAR today! It’s still morning😎😀🙄 What’s with that creepy child pornographer schlub? Fetal alcohol syndrome???
👍
Those who still believe in what the faith once stood for have become the “remnant”.
It’s the inevitable evolution for those who recognize the freak show that the church has become.
it’d be fun to watch him eat a mince pie with his hands tied behind his back.
This would have been even more hilarious if an employee pulled out a gat and shot Channels dead.
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!
Channels deserved to win a Darwin Award for that,
I think they can charge Catholic Charities with a crime, too:
“Conducting psychological experiments on human subjects without informed consent.”
Human experimentation without consent has been a crime for a long time, since at least the Nuremberg commission investigated Nazi atrocities. Who is Catholic Charities going to hire next to experiment on human subjects, Josef Mengele?
Someone could have had a heart attack and died.
Denise turned her brain off because she was handing it off to an “expert.” People like her listening to the “experts” is the reason we had to endure Covid tyranny.
“totally unencumbered by the thought process”
😂 maybe!
FBI, DHS bulletin warns of potential for copycat racist mass shootings > https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fbi-dhs-bulletin-warns-of-potential-for-copycat-racist-mass-shootings/ar-AA112zAL
“The U.S. government on Tuesday urged law enforcement partners nationwide to “remain vigilant” and watch for indicators of potential copycat attacks following the widespread dissemination of over 700 pages written by the 19-year-old suspect who allegedly opened fire and killed 10 people in a supermarket located in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, in May.”
If you routinely think its a good idea to open carry your MSR around everywhere you go….got a bunch of jumpy people out there looking for a reason to call 911 or take a closer look or respond so might not be a really good idea right now.
We had one ‘almost’ incident here this morning. Guy on the way to the range stopped at a grocery store, MSR in the back seat and passenger in the car. Guy runs in to pickup some snack stuff, comes back to the car and its surrounded by cops and the passenger is out of the car sitting down handcuffed. Someone walking through the parking lot passed the car and glanced in and saw the MSR on the back seat and called 911 to report a ‘mass shooter’. Got sorted out quickly though.
Not surprising. That’s why I always put my rifles in a case or cover them up so they are not visible in the back of my SUV. Everything else I keep in plastic tool boxes or ammo cans.
Ditto. Legal requirement in my part of the world. But cops could run my plate and get my license details which would then cross link to my firearms license.
If people know it’s a drill, they won’t act naturally. But if people believe it’s real, there will be real consequences.
Conclusion: Don’t do drills.
This.
The best way to conduct something like this is to announce: “Since we’ve conducted training we want to push our level of awareness to a higher level, and in line with that we will be conducting a ‘mass shooter drill’ sometime next week. Please be aware this is coming. But also understand it will be disturbing and frightening – anyone who desires to take next week off will be accommodated. There will be police on-site [and then make sure that is actually true], and there will be realistic fake wounds and blanks will be fired to increase the realism. Please remember your training and stay resilient. We will have a mass debrief the week after the event. Anyone who normally carries a weapon, please talk to me before next week.”
I think that allows for people to be prepared without saying “On such a date at precisely such a time, you can totally relax because we’re going to just play a little pretend.”
All the above assumes the organization has adequately communicated to its people the proper response to an “active shooter” and adequately communicated that they want to do a realistic drill, and the employees/volunteers/clients are mostly ok with it.
I must say that John Channel’s mugshot completely matched how I imagined this fool to look.
Kudos to Catholic Charities to taking the recommendation of their “rent a cop” to utilize Channel as their Force on Force trainer. And double Kudos to the Air Force for employing a pedophile as a civilian police officer.
In a Nebraska town (I can’t remember which one), a bank arranged for the police chief and one of his officers to give the staff “training” on how to handle a bank robbery. Just before closing, the chief and his minion burst in, guns drawn, and announced a robbery. Scared the hell out of the staff. Several of them needed psychological treatment afterward (PTSD) and the bank was sued. Never heard if the dumb ass chief lost his job.
Omaha has several non-governmental organizations that cater to the homeless. One of them was visited periodically by a mentally ill man who would disrupt and vandalize the place. Police were called but the organization refused to press charges. They just wanted police to shoo him away. After several incidents, police refused to respond unless it was a life threatening emergency.
It doesn’t surprise me that an organization like Catholic Charities would fail to consider the possibility that someone might counterattack a mass murderer. In their minds, no good person would resort to violence even if failure to act would cost innocent lives. Among other things, it explains why they are antigun.
Don Kleine is a fair county attorney, very reasonable about self defense provided it really was self defense.
@Kendahl
For the Catholic church its not necessarily anti-gun in the sense of gun control, its more the people seeking to impose their views over church teachings that gives the impression and presentation the Catholic church is anti-gun when in reality its actually not in its foundations and teachings and dogma. But I can see why you say that.
Church teachings are that defense is a duty, that Catholics have a duty to protect the innocent and protect the country – an obligation of defense (e.g. self-defense, family defense, others defense, defense against tyranny, etc…). The teachings in church dogma are not restrictive or anti-weapon when it comes to defense obligation exercise method or ‘tool’. To the church it doesn’t matter what weapon was used for defense if it was valid defense under church teachings which draw upon scripture to point out basically that neither God or Jesus ever said you can not own or use a weapon for valid defense and neither ever said what that weapon could or could not be and in fact God and Jesus endorsed the use of valid defense when necessary even with a ‘weapon’. It could be a butter knife, hands, an MSR, a 9mm Glock, or a battleship, as long as it was valid necessary defense under church teachings.
Contrary to what some modern Catholics may want us to believe, the Catholic tradition and teachings dogma is clear that using weapons can be justifiable in many instances, and the Catholic church has a long history of endorsing weapons ownership and use. And Catholics are obliged to defend the right of individuals to own and carry a gun because resisting tyranny and protecting the innocent is the duty of Catholics and defending that right is also fulfilling the Catholic obligation.
I’m a little bit more of a traditional Catholic…but, others may not be.
.40 cal,
Unfortunately, ONE of the issues with the Catholic Church is that it is internally severely divided. One group of bishops and archbishops advocate denying communion to politicians who support abortion, another group offers them communion, and makes comments supporting them. Many other examples. Notwithstanding his Leftist beliefs, the current Pope has done relatively little to change the OFFICIAL doctrine of the church, but many of his public statements veer away from that rather significantly.
So, while your statement of “official” doctrine is (still) correct, I’m not sure it’s fair to say that that represents the official position of “the Church”, since large parts of “the Church” would probably disagree with that.
Ps 144:1 Blessed be the Lord my God, who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight.
Ps 82:4 Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
I know nothing about Nebraska law, I merely suggest therefore that Catholic Charities may have a worker’s compensation exclusive remedy defense. The “trainer” not so much, but he will be bankrupt and sitting in prison soon enough, so no recovery there.
Considering the mind set of American gun owners why am I not surprised? ANd that CHANNELS mush ‘s eyes are too close together. Here in the UK he’d have beeen on the SEX OFFENDERS list, the OFFENCE against CHILDREN list and have an indelible CRIMINAL RECORD. THe organisation w hich empoloyed him would have by law been obliged to have aundewrtaken a suitability check and even in the gun-crazy USA I’d have though that questiions would have been asked about his right to even own a gun and run this type of exercise under license. Don’t blame him so much as to, blame the authorities for allowing it. He’s obviously a nut case and those that employed him utter idiots who should now lose their jobs.
I also have to ask why, once again, when the statistics tell us that there must have been one or two ARMED CITIZENS within range so why is mental case is still even alive.
@Albert Lj Hall
“Here in the UK he’d have beeen on the SEX OFFENDERS list,”
Oh, so that’s why the U.K. is known as the rape capital of Europe.
“when the statistics tell us that there must have been one or two ARMED CITIZENS within range so why is mental case is still even alive.”
False.
There are no such statistics that tell us when “there must have been one or two ARMED CITIZENS within range”.
Its a gun free zone. Its highly unlikely an armed citizen would have been there for this, because staff working for a catholic organization tend to be law abiding, trust their own security (who betrayed that trust in this), and tend to not bring guns into gun free zones of a catholic organization.
Once again… keep out of discussion for subject you know nothing about.
A little clarification on my statement of: “Oh, so that’s why the U.K. is known as the rape capital of Europe.”
about 8% of those caught for sex offenses go on the “SEX OFFENDERS list” in the U.K.
The key words here are “of those caught”.
The U.K. has so many rapes and sex offenses (collectively) that the police can’t keep up and don’t bother to write reports or enter them into their systems on 90% of them. It equals Sweden, another so called ‘civilized country’. Over 33% of the women of all ages are raped or victims of other sex offenses in both these countriesd. Denmark and Finland are also about the same as the U.K. and Sweden – all of them so called ‘civilized countries’. It averages about 6% of the perpetrators are caught in these countries, the women are afraid to identify their attackers because when they do the attackers if not caught immediately come back so no identity then no report and the police don’t bother with writing a report or putting it in the system.
These so called ‘civilized countries’ are among the most ‘uncivilized’ in the world.
Best you refrain on voicing your opinions on the USA concentrate instead on the wogs, rapefugees, and other assorted african/moslem flotsam committing knife/hatchet/machete crime across the UK.
“Considering the mind set of American gun owners why am I not surprised?”
Painting with a broad brush, aren’t you, you limey bastard? Why am I not surprised?
“Here in the UK he’d have beeen [sic] on the SEX OFFENDERS list, the OFFENCE against CHILDREN list and have an indelible CRIMINAL RECORD. …”
Here in America, a person must be found guilty in a court of law before all of that happens. You apparently missed the part about “charges he’s facing for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl and producing child pornography.” Why am I not surprised?
“I also have to ask why, once again, when the statistics tell us that there must have been one or two ARMED CITIZENS within range …”
Since the Charities’ facilities include a domestic violence shelter, it’s a gun-free zone, by law.
“It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly possess or cause to be present a firearm or other dangerous weapon in a domestic violence victim facility or shelter or substance abuse treatment center licensed by the State of Nebraska.”
You didn’t know that? Why am I not surprised?
If it’s a gun-free zone, how did this guy legally execute this drill with blanks?
/smh/
(Of course, I shake my head at gun-free zones, anyway….)
‘Croydon – this has to stop’: Community unites to rid itself of being ‘London’s knife crime capital’
“Last year was the worst on record for teenage murders in London. There were 30 in total, and five happened in Croydon – more than any other borough in the capital.”
The funny thing is, it isn’t the native Britons that are committing the crimes …
https://news.sky.com/story/croydon-this-has-to-stop-community-unites-to-rid-itself-of-being-londons-knife-crime-capital-12521069
He’s facing charges which means he’s innocent until proven guilty. That’s how it works in our country.
Fix “supposedly” your own house first nimrod.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-62648427
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-62673280
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-62675006
About the bullshit the antis claim over here about US vs. UK crime statistics, they are pushing records in bad faith as you’ll see.
What many are unaware of is jolly ol’ England doesn’t count murders unless a conviction is had. That’s right, they discount wholesale as not a violent crime each and every unsolved murder that doesn’t result with a charged and convicted person. As such, all not reaching such a high bar are expunged from homicide statistics.
That is… quite convenient for skewing the records to create a heightened but false sense of safety, no?
I told a friend just yesterday that 50 percent of the population has no common sense, logic, ethics or moral values and the things that happen in this Country on a daily basis are horrific when it comes to those 4 characteristics. Sometimes when I listen to ideas people put forth all I can do is just shake my head and say God Help US.
The really stupid people are the people who paid that disgusting buffoon $2500.
I think that “Omaha Man” was “Florida Man” in another life.
“Catholic Charities hired a self-described “citizen police officer” (… followed by lengthy criminal history).
Most cops have met one of these whackers. These guys will buy a decommissioned cop car that barely runs and spend more money on spotlights and “warning light bars” than they did at the auction. They have “conceal carry” badges and a “public safety” high-vis traffic vest on their dashboard… maybe a stetson knockoff hat on a hook in there if they’re larping as troopers
These guys will never go extinct but one expects the head of an organization not to be STUPID enough to hire and do what they say. Where’s the responsibility there?? How can someone in that position not have the IQ to realize all the obvious problems with this plan, even if the police WERE involved?
Wait, so am I supposed to understand that Gecko45 is real?!
So if someone had pulled their cc and killed this fuckn idiot they would have been charged with manslaughter. OMG what a cluster f.
I don’t think they would have been charged with manslaughter. They would have been reacting to what was for all appearances an actual violent ‘mass shooting’ type event and the threat was imminent.
Probably not. In general, the standard for deadly force is if a “reasonable person” would have feared for the death or serious bodily harm of themselves another. I’d say a staged mass shooting, complete with blank rounds and actors with mock wounds, would definitely meet that standard
I think one of the points of the post was that a bunch of those people felt rather reasonable fear of death or serious bodily harm. I think anyone shooting the guy* would be unlikely to face charges, though he would possibly be scarred for life.
(* Could we call it “doing a Rittenhouse” since the guy is accused of being a pedophile? OK, I’ll denounce myself now….)
A huge gunfight where the pedo and a bunch of money-laundering Bolsheviks buy it? That would have been the ideal situation.
Sorry, but being Catholic Charities, there’s an old song
“If dispensation comes from the Pope..
Lilliburlero Lillibullah!..”
A big hit in the year of 1688! Sorry.
The guy plays dress up and gives sane firearm owners a bad name name.