Upper Dublin HS locked down after umbrella mistaken for weapon

Pottstown Mercury ^ | 12/17/2012 | Linda Finarelli

[dirtboy]

UPPER DUBLIN — Students videotaping a project at Upper Dublin High School sent the school into a lockdown a little before 9 a.m. Monday, with police rushing inside and closing off access to the building.

The incident began when surveillance video picked up a student in the hallway with what looked like a gun, according to Upper Dublin police Chief Terrance Thompson.

“I saw the video; it looked like a big gun,” Thompson said. “We didn’t know what we had; the activity was suspicious. Our units were over there as part of the rapid response,” which police developed after Columbine, he noted. “It was ill-advised on the part of the students.”

[dirtboy]

We need laws against assault umbrellas.

[Olog-hai]

Guess some people watch too many movies, so many that they see them on their surveillance monitors.

[Truth29]

What was ill advised on the part of the student - carrying an umbrella? The article needs to be more specific. Was there an attempt to make the umbrella look like a weapon? Was it the suspicious, ominous black color... The US needs to get more like Israel and end gun free victim zones and local jurisdictions need to offer training, certification and support for staff and teachers to carry weapons for an active armed response, when necessary.

[Hardraade]

I guess a garden parasol would have looked like a Carl Gustav.

Interesting times.

[Oztrich Boy]

[Think free or die]

SWAT team for an honors student with an umbrella . . . we live in interesting times. Admin couldn’t risk ignoring a threat; Upper Dublin is well supplied with lawyers.

[cva66snipe]

Oh you should read this one. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/dec/17/toy-grenade-prompts-store-evacuation-in-clinton/ I can understand the clerks not recognizing a toy as the clerks there are usually very young likely in their early 20’s. I’m a regular customer. But dern it surely some adult or even a cop who was on scence could have said it’s a toy. Every kid had one when I was growing up.

[Fresh Wind]

[Fresh Wind]

[Navy Patriot]

“It was ill-advised on the part of the students.”

Yeah, the part about attending public school.

And the part about a jackboot trying to shift the blame for incompetence.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Full auto umbrellas are my choice of weapon!

[Cvengr]

Issue full auto umbrellas to all the teachers!

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Don’t laugh. The Penguin could have been stalking the school along with the Joker and Catwoman.

[relictele]

Upper Dublin police Chief Terrance Thompson. “I saw the video; it looked like a big gun,” Thompson said.

So Chief Thompson has poor eyesight, is easily startled, incompetent and dumb enough to admit same.

Why is he a member of the police in any capacity?

[bgill]

We didn’t know what we had; the activity was suspicious

Walking down the street with an umbrella is now classified as suspicious activity. Heaven forbid if the guy had sneezed.