More than 1,000 people were under lockdown in their schools Monday after a prank call led police to think a gunman was on the loose.
According to the St. Albert RCMP and Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools superintendent David Keohane, staff at St. Albert Catholic High received a call from a "youthful-sounding caller" at about 11:10 a.m. who said a man wearing a black trench-coat and carrying a gun had been spotted walking near either St. Albert Catholic High or the nearby Vincent J. Maloney school. District office then alerted police.
Seven officers swarmed the area and had SACHS, VJM, and the Greater St. Albert Catholic district office go into full lockdown mode – that's where they lock all the doors, cut the lights, and take cover under desks, Keohane explained.
RCMP soon determined that the call was a prank, leading all three facilities to downgrade to a "hold and secure" status at about 11:20 a.m., Keohane said (which is where the outer doors are locked but normal activities continue). District office and VJM resumed normal operations at about 11:45, with SACHS staying under hold and secure until about noon so police could question students.
école Alexandre-Taché, which is across the street from VJM, was not included in the lockdown, said school staff.
Learning held hostage
Keohane praised RCMP for their swift response but denounced the prank call as "selfish and single-minded behaviour" that "basically held learning hostage." Roughly 1,200 students and 90 staff members were affected.
"We're taking the incident seriously," he said.
"You can't do this at banks. You can't do this at airports. You can't do this at schools."
Calls like this tie up police resources and put the public in danger as officers rush to the scene – in this case on icy roads, said St. Albert RCMP Cpl. Laurel Kading said in an interview.
"It's something that could put someone else in jeopardy."
Many parents also came to the school while police were on site out of concern for the students, she continued.
"Somebody has obviously scared a lot of parents."
Kading asked for the public's help in identifying anyone connected to the hoax. Persons involved in a hoax such as this could be charged under Sect. 430.1c of the Criminal Code (mischief that interferes with the lawful enjoyment of property), which can lead to a fine or two years in jail.
"If nothing else, we'd like to have a conversation (with the person) to make sure this never happens again."
The Gazette archives report that there have been about four lockdowns or hold and secure situations at St. Albert in the last eight years.
The most recent one affected école Father Jan in 2014 and involved reports of an emotionally disturbed 25-year-old man in a home that contained guns near the school. The last one to involve an actual gun on school grounds was at Richard Fowler in 2008, where an expelled student allegedly brandished a B.B. gun that closely resembled a .45 calibre semi-automatic handgun.
Keohane reminded parents not to call schools or district office during a lockdown or hold and secure situation, as they have to keep their phone lines clear during such emergencies. They should instead check the district's website for information – although there weren't details posted in this situation as district office was under lockdown, he noted.
Anyone with information about this hoax should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
