The Wiscasset Police Dept. has increased patrols at area schools following a tragic school shooting at a k-4 school in Connecticut on Friday.
Wiscasset Police Chief Troy Cline said he has performed some extra patrols at the town’s three schools, and he and his officers will be continuing increased patrols for the next week or so.
“Everything looks fine at the schools, and I trust the schools because they have action plans in place that will help to hopefully mitigate situations such as this,” Cline said.
“The Wiscasset Police Department has a very good working relationship with the schools and we would be able to work through a tragedy like this, but we hope and pray that it would never happen up here,” Cline said. “The principals at each school make me aware on a regular basis if they have any concerns about activity at the school … that would put their students at risk.”
Cline said that: “We’re pretty well prepared to respond to something of this nature,” adding that such situations are unpredictable. “You can only plan so far,” Cline said.
The incident in Connecticut began just after 9 a.m. when at least one gunman entered a k-4 school in Newtown, according to multiple media reports. Reports are still coming in regarding the extent of the tragedy, however CBS is reporting that there are 27 people dead and that 18 of them are children. One witness has described “hundreds” of gunshots being heard. One of the dead is a suspect in the shooting who was armed with two handguns, according to multiple media reports.
Residents of the area and parents outside the school have expressed shock when interviewed by the media. Newtown is described as “a quaint New England country village” by a CNN correspondent on the scene.
The Lincoln County News will continue to follow the progress of this event in regard to how it may affect our area schools and post any additional information here as soon as it is obtained.
