Alliance High School went into lockdown on Monday after a juvenile allegedly made threats and was reported to have a firearm.
Alliance Police Department Chief Philip Lukens said the lockdown began at 12:11 p.m. He said the student had allegedly made threats to at least one student the previous night, which was not reported. He said the student who allegedly made the threat flashed a firearm to two students.
“After the report was received the school was placed in lockdown,” said Lukens. “The student was removed from his class and the weapon was identified as a BB Gun. The student was removed from school. The school remained in lockdown while officers conducted a search of the school for any other additional threats. When no additional threats were located and the school was deemed safe, the lockdown was lifted and school was resumed.”
Lukens said the juvenile was arrested and will be housed at the Lancaster County Youth Services Center in Lincoln. He noted that criminal charges have been recommended. He noted that students and teachers followed protocol effectively, remaining calm and allowing officers to conduct a thorough search. He explained that the response time could have been faster if the incident was reported directly to law enforcement.
“The only notable negative, was this was reported by a student to a parent, then from the parent to the school, then from the school the police,” Lukens said. “Using an app, 911 or just knowing to make the report to police to expedite the response tremendously. We also encourage all school teachers, staff, and all students to download and utilize the Safe2Help App. This would have been a perfect situation to utilize the app.”
Businesses and organizations can take advantage of training offered through the Alliance Police Department to help promote safety.
“The Alliance Police Department offers a Citizen Response to Active Shooter Training,” said Lukens. “If you or your business or organization are interested, please email the Alliance Police Department: comments@bbcpublicsafety.us.”
(Photo Courtesy of the Alliance Police Department)