False Alarm From Nearby Drill Leads To Lockdowns At Mahopac Schools

MAHOPAC, NY — An unintended activation of a Hudson Valley school's alarm, intended for use in the case of a threat to the safety of students, caused some tense moments on Wednesday.

At 10:18 a.m., Putnam County 911 alerted Carmel Police and the Putnam County Sheriff's Office that a lockdown alarm was activated at Mahopac High School, specifying that the alarm was "not a drill."

The Carmel Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, the Kent Police Department and the Brewster Police Department began responding to Mahopac High School to assist the school resource officer and special patrol officer on campus.

The additional schools on that campus, Mahopac Middle School and the Mahopac Falls School, also went into lockdown.

Just one minute later, at 10:19 a.m., a Carmel police officer was the first to arrive on the scene at Mahopac High School.

Additional officers were responding from a pre-scheduled lockdown drill taking place nearby at Austin Road Elementary School.

Police say it was quickly determined that an electronic notification related to that lockdown drill at Austin Road School was erroneously broadcast to Mahopac High School, and school staff initiated a lockdown per protocol.

All three schools were cleared as of 10:55 a.m.

An investigation confirmed that the erroneous notification was the cause of the lockdown order. It was also confirmed by police that there was no threat or danger to any of the schools or surrounding community at any time.

"Carmel PD thanks the collaborative effort of all law enforcement agencies, Mahopac Central School District Administration, Faculty, Staff, and Students in safely and efficiently addressing this potentially unknown situation," the Town of Carmel Police Department said. "We appreciate the understanding and support of the Mahopac Schools community and surrounding neighborhoods in our continuing work to keep our schools and town safe.

Superintendent Christine Tona told reporters that the false alarm was handled correctly by school administrators.

"Our system worked exactly as it should; however, we will continue to review our procedures for internal and external communication," Tona told the Mid Hudson News. "We are appreciative of the swift response from our law enforcement partners. Thank you to families for not going to our schools during this incident. I understand that incidents such as this can be unnerving and our natural reaction is to go to the school. It is important to allow law enforcement to have full access to our schools and also to keep the phone lines clear. Follow up communication will always be shared as soon as possible."