AUBURN, N.Y. -- Those who live near Auburn Correctional Facility said they knew the prison had been put on lockdown the moment it happened.
"I heard the bells going off, yea," said Jennifer Wahl, an Auburn resident.
Officials say the lockdown was put in place Friday after escape plans were discovered.
"I'm glad they found it before it happened, which is good," said Bruce Blodgett, another resident. "So, yes. I'm relieved."
While many are relieved that there wasn't an escape, they're always concerned that someday one could happen. Like Dannemora residents, those who call Auburn home live near a maximum security prison, and where there's potential for an escape, there's always fear.
"Me and my friends talk about it a lot, especially living right next to the prison, you know? It's definitely a scary thought," said Dillon Swan, another resident.
Officials say the facility was put on lockdown so that it could be properly searched. A former employee who wished to remain anonymous detailed what that search might have included.
"They lock them in their cells and they can't come out of their cells," the former employee said. "You have to feed them in their cells and then most of the time they all get frisked. You take them out of the cells, you frisk their cells."
Residents simply hope that prison employees remain vigilant as everyone's safety is depending on it.