With school shootings on everyone's mind, tensions are obviously running very high right now.
I guess you can never be too careful. Boulder Preparatory High School and two other schools in the area went into lockout mode on Tuesday morning, February 27, when someone reported seeing a man carrying a rifle in a nearby restaurant's parking lot. Only ... it wasn't a rifle at all. Boulder police who investigated the scene determined that the man who'd been reported was actually carrying a power washer. [caption id="attachment_34010" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Power washer (Courtesy of Jack Seeds)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_34009" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Rifle (Courtesy of Dick's Sporting Goods)[/caption] During the lockout, the exterior doors at Boulder Prep, Boulder County Day School, and Miss Catherine's Creative Learning Center were locked, and nobody was allowed into or out of each building. Classes continued to be in session, however.
The police lifted the lockout once the power washer was identified as the mistaken "culprit," though officers remained in the area, just in case.
Just for clarification, the difference between a lockout and a lockdown is that during a lockout, school officials are attempting to protect students from danger outside the school. During a lockdown, however, officials are aiming to protect students from danger that is already inside the school.
Have you ever panicked and suspected danger where there wasn't any? Do you think it's always better to err on the side of caution? Tell us in the comments below!