Chaos broke out at the Clay vs. Waite High School football game last Friday night after rumors spread about an individual having a gun. However, after further investigation, that threat was found to be a false alarm.
Assistant Chief Chris Bliss with the Oregon Police Division addressed the event in a Facebook post on Wednesday, calling the incident a chance to assess their approach towards safety at heavily-attended events.
"I would like to reassure parents and students alike that we (both Oregon City School administration and the Oregon Police Department) take [their] safety and security very seriously. We want to make every event as safe and enjoyable as possible for spectators of all ages," Bliss said in the post.
Police and school officials reportedly met on Monday to discuss security plans for future events. The chief wrote that the police department has implemented additional safety measures for all future home games. These measures include but aren't limited to, increased police and school official presence, increased lighting, fencing to restrict flow of foot traffic to and from the visitors' side and better communication between school and security officers.
Bliss said that parents can also help when it comes to safety.
"You can instruct your young person, who may be attending future games, to contact officers or school personnel when they actually see something suspicious. A couple juveniles now claim they saw someone in possession of a handgun, but not one juvenile decided it would be a good idea to tell a school official or police officer what they saw prior to the incident unfolding," the post read. "If they don’t feel comfortable doing this, maybe they could tell a parent. Telling an officer, school official or parent is far better than just yelling it out. We all know what that causes – panic, fear and chaos."
According to Oregon City Schools Superintendent Hal Gregory, panic began that night during the third quarter when someone said another person had a gun in the north end of the stadium, where many of the students congregate. Soon after, the student section, the band, both teams and parents ran toward the exits.
(Video courtesy of Scott Langenderfer)
Gregory stated that no weapon was found on the premises. He said that there were no fights in the incident and confirmed that no shots were ever fired.
Gregory said that he was proud of students and the community because although the situation was scary, students responded appropriately and looked out for each other.
Within 30 minutes, Gregory said the scene calmed and both teams agreed to continue playing.
No one was arrested in relation to the incident.
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