Updated: Los Alamitos Schools Locked Down During Police Investigation

The Friday morning lockdown of Los Alamitos High School, Los Alamitos Elementary, Laurel High School, McAuliffe Middle School and the district office was “completely unrelated” to the massive manhunt for a former police officer accused of a murder spree, according to the school district superintendent.

Though local authorities have been searching nearby La Palma for ex-Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Dorner -- who allegedly killed at least three people -- the 10 a.m. lockdown was “just a cautionary measure” in response to a report of a suspicious person and possible burglary nearby, said Los Alamitos Unified School District Superintendent Sherry Kropp.

The lockdown began at about 10 a.m. and went on for less than a half hour, according to Kropp.  

In the wake of the Sandy Hook mass shooting, Kropp said, the district has been “more cautious” but added that even if New Town Connecticut tragedy hadn’t happened, "to be safe" the school would still have locked down after receiving the suspicious person report from LBPD

“We would have done this no matter what,” Kropp said.

According to Kropp, during a lockdown, students stay in their classrooms with the doors locked. The staff can communicate with teachers through the public address system and through teacher phones and emails. Many teachers have computers in their classrooms.

The school followed the emergency procedures after Long Beach Police Department received a report of a suspicious person and “possibly a burglary” in the 3400 block of Halbrite Avenue, according to Marlene Arrona, department spokeswoman.

The Cypress School District had no schools on lockdown though officials were aware of the lock down in Los Alamitos, according to Tim McLellan, Cypress district assistant superintendent.

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