MAHOPAC, N.Y. — A lockdown drill at Austin Road Elementary on Wednesday, Oct. 2, inadvertently triggered an alarm at Mahopac High School, initiating a lockdown there and triggering a massive response from local law enforcement before the mistake was identified.
At approximately 10:18 a.m., Putnam County 911 advised Carmel police and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) of a lockdown alarm activation at Mahopac High School, specifying that the alarm was “not a drill.” Carmel PD, sheriff’s deputies, Kent PD, and Brewster PD began responding to Mahopac HS to assist the PCSO school resource officer (SRO) and special patrol officer (SPO) on campus.
The additional schools on that campus, Mahopac Middle School, and the Mahopac Falls School also were reported going into lockdown. At 10:19 a.m., Carmel Police Officer Vincent Serio was the first CPD officer at Mahopac High School, coordinating with the SRO, SPO and MHS Staff.
Additional officers from CPD and the Sheriff’s Office responded from a scheduled lockdown drill taking place nearby at Austin Road Elementary School. It was quickly determined that an electronic notification related to the lockdown drill at Austin Road School was erroneously broadcast to Mahopac High School, and MHS administrative staff initiated a lockdown as per protocol.
Mahopac Middle School and Mahopac Falls School, being on the same campus as the high school, also initiated lockdowns.
Carmel Police Chief Anthony Hoffmann assumed incident command and established a command post on campus to coordinate all the law enforcement units in clearing all three locked-down schools. All three schools were cleared without further incident as of 10:55 a.m.
An investigation confirmed the account of the erroneous notification and subsequent lockdown and it was determined that there was no threat or danger to any of the schools or surrounding community at any time.
“Carmel PD thanks the collaborative effort of all law enforcement agencies, Mahopac Central School District administration, faculty, staff, and students in safely and efficiently addressing this potentially unknown situation,” Hoffmann said. “We appreciate the understanding and support of the Mahopac school community and surrounding neighborhoods in our continuing work to keep our schools and town safe.”
In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, Superintendent Christine Tona commended “all of our students, staff, and law enforcement for following our procedures and protocols and for a swift resolution” and praised families for handling the situation calmly.
“Our system worked exactly as it should today,” Tona said. “However, we will continue to review our procedures for internal and external communication. We are appreciative of the swift response from our law enforcement partners.”
Tona also thanked the students' families for not going to the schools during the incident.
“I understand that incidents such as this can be unnerving and our natural reaction is to go to the school," she said. "It is important to allow law enforcement to have full access to our schools and also to keep the phone lines clear. ”
Article courtesy of Carmel PD with additions from Mahopac CSD.
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