Troy Police respond to a false active shooter alarm that was accidentally triggered Monday morning, Feb. 5, at Hook Elementary School in Troy before students arrive.
Sheryl Roadcap | Miami Valley Today
By Sheryl Roadcap
TROY — Several Troy Police Officers responded to a false active shooter alarm that was accidentally triggered Monday morning at Hook Elementary School before students arrived.
According to information provided by Troy City Schools, the Troy Police Department responded immediately to the alarm and deemed the building safe for students to enter on Monday, Feb. 5. Several members of the police department were still there as students arrived.
“The school day is now proceeding as normal at Hook Elementary School,” a Troy City Schools’ press release said. “We are currently looking into how the false alarm was triggered. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact either Hook Elementary School or the Troy Board of Education.”
Troy Police Chief Shawn McKinney said they received notice the alarm was going off at 8:14 a.m. Monday morning, and at that time they already had an officer patrolling outside in Hook Elementary’s school zone, so he was able to respond “basically immediately.”
McKinney said it was not immediately obvious the alarm was a false alarm, but they “respond to all of these things like the real thing.”
McKinney declined to go into detail on how such an alarm can be set off, but noted Troy City Schools had changed procedures at the high school after a similar alarm was accidentally set-off earlier in the school year in September, and that other school buildings may also need to review their procedures.
Troy City Schools told Miami Valley Today by email Monday afternoon, when asked for further comment on the incident, “We would like to reiterate that student safety is our No. 1 concern, and we take that responsibility very seriously. We apologize to our staff members, our students and their families that this happened. We are incredibly thankful to the Troy Police Department for their quick response and ensuring the building was safe for students before they started arriving for the start of school. We’d also like to thank our staff members for their continued professionalism and dedication.”
