On the morning of Jan. 15, Citrus College went on lockdown with little information given to students about the circumstances, leading to an influx of hearsay.
After this experience, Citrus College administration has become aware of the necessary changes required for emergency situations.
In particular, the spread of inaccurate information has destructive effects during a situation, such as a lockdown.
While many may have found the lack of details frustrating, Citrus College and Glendora Police Department have a responsibility to make credible reports, those of which take time to certify.
Lies and misinformation take no time at all.
Many went to social media to find out what was happening on campus but unfortunately most of the statements made were false.
The circulating gossip spread to Twitter where many began to make claims that contradicted Glendora Police reports. Various users continued to send out tweets such as “There is an active shooter on citrus by the math building” although GPD had already established they were still actively investigating a threat at Citrus College on Twitter.
The distressing tweets spread and grabbed the attention of many while overshadowing credible news.
For those on and off campus, it quickly became unclear what was happening.
Students and staff alike are responsible for making the mistake of relaying false claims. Still, when given little information during a lockdown, no communication from their most trusted source could potentially create just as much panic.
Although Citrus College was following Glendora Police Department’s instructions when sending out minimal alerts, more consistent and succinct communication would be beneficial in limiting the false rumors and uncertain claims made online.
During these critical situations, communication is essential and miscommunication is equally detrimental.
The various falsehoods stemmed from the misinterpreted alerts can create further complications in attempting to understand the situation as a student body, as a staff member and as a community.
The lockdown was a situation of high stress that was fortunately resolved peacefully. From this experience, Citrus College is reminded of what they can do to reduce any unnecessary tension amid the chaos under these circumstances.
