Lockdown 'Justifiably Called For,' Security Expert Says

Alfonse Imperiale, director of county critical infrastructure for the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, recently toured each of Madison's five public schools to evaluate security at the buildings and happened to be on hand to see the district's lockdown procedures in action.

Imperiale was at Torey J. Sabatini School on Friday when the district's schools locked down as a precaution while police in several towns were looking for a man who was considered armed and dangerous after an alleged assault in Morristown.

When a parent at a school security forum Tuesday night asked if the precautionary lockdown was the right decision in hindsight, Imperiale said a limited lockdown "was justifiably called for because you're protecting the school buildings."

Morristown police notified surrounding areas about an assault with a weapon, and they did not know which way the actor was going.

"Desperate people sometimes do desperate things," which can lead to hostage situations, Imperiale said.

In the process, the district and police identified ways to improve the district's lockdown procedures.

 "We found glitches. Now we're going to work on repairing them," Imperiale said.