Armed police officers were present at Cochrane High School May 10, after a threatening message directed at a student was found on one of the school’s bathroom stalls the previous day.
“At this time, police do not feel there is any imminent threat to any staff or students, but precautionary measures are being taken to ensure everyone’s safety,” said Cst. Kari Moore, a media relations officer with the Cochrane RCMP.
Those precautionary measures included having a small group of armed RCMP constables patrolling the hallways and school grounds.
“[They were] visiting each classroom, walking in the hallways,” Moore said. “I guess you could call it patrol-like. That was just to ease the minds of the students and the staff at the school, to help reassure the threat was being investigated and that it was safe to attend school.”
Despite the police presence, Moore said, the school day proceeded in typical fashion.
“No lockdown or anything like that was done,” she said. “There was no hold-and-secure. It was just business as usual at the school, with an increased police presence.”
Rocky View Schools (RVS) Director of Communications Angela Spanier released a statement about the incident May 9. RVS also sent a letter to parents of students at the school.
According to Spanier’s statement, the nature of the threat would not be disclosed, as to avoid potential copycat acts and heightening emotional alarm.
“In co-operation with the RCMP, we will continue to investigate this incident today, and believe our school continues to be a safe learning environment,” she said.
“The key message here is that we need our parents to support us by reinforcing with their children the inappropriateness of such acts.”
Moore said Cochrane RCMP will continue to investigate the source of the threat, though she acknowledged the investigation could hit a dead end if no proof or evidence is revealed.
If the person who made the threat is discovered, she said, they could potentially face criminal charges.
Gravel truck collision
On May 15 at approximately 9:30 a.m, Cochrane RCMP responded to a single vehicle collision involving a gravel truck on Highway 1 near the Ozada overpass west of the town. The truck entered the centre median and flipped on its side.
Traffic was initially reduced to one lane following the incident, but the scene was cleared and traffic resumed as normal by the late afternoon.
According to Moore, the driver of the gravel truck was taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries and the investigation is ongoing.
