“This is only a drill: Gunshots fired at Moorpark College.”

At 10:10 a.m. this morning, Moorpark College had a lockdown exercise to emphasize what would happen if an individual with a weapon walked onto campus.

“The best things to do in case of a lockdown drill is to lock the doors, switch off the lights, and remain calm while staying away from windows and doors,” said Cadet Jake Kerstein from Moorpark College Police Station. “Students should also wait for emergency personnel to arrive or a notice from VCCCD saying ‘All Clear.'”

Students should be listening to the siren and looking for a VCCCD phone call, text message, or email to reassure their safety.

“We went into lockdown mode; we locked the doors, turned off the lights, and spread ourselves out away from the walls, doors, and windows,” said Jessica Maxcy, a freshman majoring in Clinical Lab Studies.

Teachers, faculty and students were given a couple of weeks notice about the lockdown drill. Teachers and faculty received an email stating what to do in case of this emergency.

According to Iris Ingram, Vice President of Business Services, teachers should immediately take control of their class or meeting. Teachers must be assertive, confident, and keep their students or co-workers calm, as student’s lives will depend on their quick, precise action.

“As we huddled together waiting for clearance, we planned an escape route in case the gunman came into our room,” said Professor Marcos Enriquez, who was currently teaching a Pre-Calculus class.

At the Performing Arts Center, theater major Randy Morgan, 20, was sitting in the Performing Arts Center building when the lockdown drill began.

“[The drill] was effective to a point,” said Morgan. “At least we know our security works.”

“I thought that it [the exercise] could use a little work in terms of execution.” said dance major Domenic Hartlove, 20. “Where I was in the health office, we weren’t able to hear the all-clear; we weren’t able to hear much of anything, so we didn’t know what was going on.”

Some students were confused about where to go or what to do if they were outside of classrooms. In case of a lockdown, students should go to the nearest classroom before the professors lock the doors, or escape away from the direction of the threat, according to Ventura County Community College Police Chief Greg Beckley.

Across from Moorpark College, the surrounding neighborhood weighed in their thoughts on the drill.

“I definitely think it’s a good idea,” said local resident Katrina Olson. “I heard the siren, and I even got a call from the college.”

The Ventura County police department had posted notices on their mailboxes that informed the neighborhood of the upcoming drill.

During the excitement of the drill, a call was made to the Moorpark Police Department within the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. The operator answered on the first ring, but when questioned about the sirens heard on this campus, it had been the first that they had heard about it. The operator quickly transferred the phone call to dispatch.

As it turned out, dispatch knew just as little about the drill. The call was then transferred to the Moorpark College Campus Police, who were the ones that actually knew what was going on.

If students are still unsure of what to do, contact the Moorpark College Police Station at (805) 378-1455(805) 378-1455. If there is a serious emergency, call 911.

Story contributed by staff writers Brian Varela, Radu Puchiu, Saffana Hijaz and Chase Oliver