Scripps Howard News Service
Friday, May 11, 2007
Police locked down Boulder High School Thursday after two suspicious men wearing camouflage were seen inside the building, officials said. One of the suspects wore a ski mask.
The Boulder Police Department's SWAT team canvassed the school, which included a thorough room-by-room search, plus inspection of lockers, closets and the underground theater tunnels, police said.
They also brought in a dog to search the building for explosives.
"We're not going to rush the search," Chief Mark Beckner said during a news conference.
"This will be a much more methodical search than the first," Beckner said, noting that officers will be "opening every door, looking in every closet."
Police now are taking Boulder High officials into the building for a final check of the premises.
"Given the times that we live in -- and recent events -- we have to take all precautions," Beckner said. "We don't know if this is a prank. We don't know if this is a burglary. We don't know if this is something more than that. We're going to take every precaution we can.
"You really can't take any chances today. Unfortunately that's the world we live in."
The FBI is on the scene as well, officials said.
The Boulder Valley superintendent notified police at about 8:30 a.m. that school was canceled for the day. School officials also called off all after-school activities.
The University of Colorado temporarily closed 19 buildings as well during the police search.
A food service person working at Boulder High School around 6 a.m. spotted two men dressed in camouflage in the building, Boulder Valley schools spokesman Briggs Gamblin said in a statement.
The employee shouted at them and they turned and ran, officials said.
Police were called and at this point there are no reports of weapons, Gamblin said.
Beckner said he is "not confident at all" that the men remain inside the school, noting "they could have run outside."
Police, however, are containing their search to the high school and are not combing adjacent neighborhoods.
"Our focus is here," Beckner said.
School officials said there are 15 security cameras on the outside of the school, but none inside.
Students arriving at Boulder High Thursday morning said their initial reaction was that the incident wasn't a precursor to some kind of Columbine-like attack, but, rather, a prank.
"What we thought was that maybe some kids decided to do a senior prank," senior Jon Eddings said. "But I think they would have given up by now and we would have known about it."
Incoming Superintendent Chris King acknowledged that Thursday's incident could be a prank.
"May is a time when many high schools have senior pranks, but I wouldn't want to speculate," King said.
About 50 students who were en route to the school on buses were diverted to Fairview High School, where their parents picked them up.
"Kids were never in harms way here today because of the early hours," King said. "We don't know who was in the building. We just know somebody was in the building we didn't recognize. We don't know if they were a threat or not."
About 1,900 students are enrolled at the high school, said assistant principal Kevin Braney and about 400 students were scheduled to take advanced placement tests Thursday.
(Contact the Daily Camera in Boulder, Co., at www.dailycamera.com.)
Better safe than sorry
As a teacher, I'd rather send my students home JUST IN CASE rather than keep them at school so we don't have to add days at the end of the year. As a parent, I am grateful that my children are the priority. Today's students are different than we were and we have to start dealing with this new "normal". Sure, it's cool to do something on 4/20, or on the day of AP testing, but we can't ever fall into "the boy who cried wolf" mentality. We must be always watching, always aware.
Post new comment