Lamar High School

Yesterday morning at 8:45 I was informed that Lamar High School was on lock down.  The reason for the lock down was that a student informed the School Resource Officer SRO that another student had brought a gun to school and had made a threat concerning utilization of the weapon.  The student in question was described as an African American male with wavy hair, dressed in an orange shirt with a backpack.  This situation was not a surprise to APD because their leadership had taken the incident at Sandy Hook Elementary seriously, and set into action certain protocols that were to be implemented in case of such an incident. 

The school was locked down and five inspection teams set out to question students and find the individual and weapon.  A gun sniffing dog was utilized to inspect locker and common areas.  After an extensive search no gun or individual was found.  The student that made the original accusation was questioned and determined to be credible, sincere and believable.  Students were kept on campus for lunch, and parents were allowed to pick up their kids at anytime of the day and return them home.  Lock down was lifted a little after 2 pm, and students were returned to class.

The search and incident will continue be on the forefront of the APD's agenda.  The safety of our students and schools is paramount.  Students that consider this style of behavior will be dealt with sternly and swiftly.  I consider the actions of our APD to be proper, professional and ongoing until tangible results can be accomplished.  I have every confidence in Chief Will Johnson and the North Chief Leland Strickland to keep our students safe.