Bethlehem residents have a right to fully see the police and school district response to a threat of violence at the high school last month.

Anyone who’s ever been to a school sporting event knows the scene: Some are watching the sport, some are on their phones, some are chatting and absolutely no one is paying attention to the exact same thing. That’s why it’s hard to fault any Bethlehem Police Department officer who may have overreacted when clearing the Bethlehem Central High School lacrosse field in the face of a violent threat to the school.

The fact that a threat proved not to be imminent is irrelevant. While we certainly don’t condone stoking fear in an already-fearful situation, we do appreciate the difficulty of grabbing the attention of students spread around a large outdoor field and then hastening all those people to action.

That all said, the Bethlehem PD’s overreaction to that........

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