UPDATED: Strong Police Presence After Suspicious Person Report Near Schools

Two local schools — Hugh B. Bain Middle School and Stadium Elementary School — were locked, children were kept inside and the buildings were closely watched by police after a report of a suspcious person walking in the area this morning, Cranston Police Chief Col. Marco Palombo confirmed.

Police and school officials are "taking the appropriate steps to provide a presence in that area," Palombo said. 

The person of interest has not been found and police "have not confirmed the report as of yet in terms of finding the person described and we'll continue to investigate in that regard," Palombo said.

Residents will see heightened police presence in the area and police will continue to act out of an abundance of caution as the investigation continues. It is likely that there will be a strong police presence near local schools around dismissal time.

Palombo said the police department is coordinating with the School Department — standard protocol for any reported activity of concern near schools.

Ray Votto, Cranston Schools' chief operating officer, said the report of the suspicious person came via a 911 phone call early in the morning. Both Stadium and Bain were secured with students kept inside. Cranston High School East was notified, but did not enter a lockdown state.

Votto said describing the schools as being under lockdown isn't totally accurate, since students did move from classroom to classroom. A better term, he said, would be "lock-in," since nobody went outside for recess and the doors were locked but people were walking freely inside the building.

Votto said parents of children at most Cranston schools will be getting a letter from the district sent home with their children this afternoon "to let them know what took place."

One parent who sent Patch an e-mail and asked to remain anonymous said many of the kids at the school were "very shook up" during the lockdown.