Video Transcript

ASAC Smith: Certainly, the most precious resource in our community is our young children, our future, and we need to protect them at all costs. So, any threat is taken seriously, especially school shooting threats.

Capt. Meyer: A hoax threat are those threats that can be made through our 911 call center, online, maybe on social media. And it's a threat that is significant enough to draw police resources out.

Smith: Typically, that's a threat of violence, oftentimes targeting schools or places of public gathering. We call them "hoaxes" when they were not meant to be a threat. They maybe were a joke or a misguided statement.

Capt. Meyer: We know that our school communities, each and every campus, expects a swift response from law enforcement and public safety. And that's what they're going to see. We don't know at that time if a threat is a hoax or not.

Smith: And the problem with hoax threats is that we have to treat each one as real until we know it's a hoax. And, so, we follow up on those. We direct law-enforcement resources away from other active investigations, and that causes a significant strain on the resources of both our agency and our local police departments.

Capt. Meyer: And you'll see generally police, fire, and other first responders. And we're going to make sure that that campus, whatever its size, is going to be secure before we turn it back to educators.

Smith: Well, certainly the number one thing is addressing the threat and making sure that's not real, but that can lead to disruption in school activities and it can cause fear within the students in an environment that needs to be safe for them.

Parent: I talk to my kids all the time about how their words matter. We all need to think before we post.

Capt. Meyer: If you are thinking about a hoax, if you see it as just an innocent prank, or you know a friend or colleague who might be considering that, tell them to stop.

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kelly Smith: And we'll find the origin of that threat. We're very good at that.

Capt. Meyer: Those that make those threats can rest assured that, once the scene is safe, we are going to turn all available evidence over to investigators.

ASAC Smith: Certainly, consequences for posting a threat are quite serious. They can include arrest, conviction, and potentially school disciplinary action against that person. Often, we see students that make a threat that they think is innocuous, but they will face repercussions at their schools, and that can have a detrimental effect on their future. But if you do see a concerning post, tell a trusted adult, tell your school, tell law enforcement, and let us sort it out whether that hoax is real.

Capt. Meyer: Any time anyone comes upon evidence, whether it's online or otherwise, something that may compromise school safety, they absolutely want us to contact first responders.

Parent: It's important that we don't repost information on social media that's unverified because that can spread misinformation and cause fear.

ASAC Smith: So, I would say, call 911 if you think a threat is real and then report it to both your trusted adults or other law enforcement, as necessary.

Capt. Meyer: We talk about crime and the fear of crime and jeopardizing that sense of safety that is so impactful to our communities. We want our schools and everyone else to be safe. We owe it to our students and our parents.