PENDLETON, Ore. – An Amber Alert test at St. Anthony Hospital went south last week after the facility’s administrators failed to tell police that it was just a drill.
Police received a call from the hospital on June 3, stating that a baby had been kidnapped, prompting officers to immediately take off to find the newborn, the Associated Press reports.
En route, the officers learned that the alert was just a drill.
The medical facility recently moved into a $70 million site in December. After administrators decided that staff had gotten familiar with the new building, they decided to test a variety of emergency exercises.
A St. Anthony Hospital spokesman noted that procedure calls for staff to notify employees as well as call a special number to inform the local emergency dispatch number of the drill.
Hospital officials are now taking steps to prevent the incident from occurring again.
