The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office posted a video on social media asking parents to talk to their children about problems caused when unconfirmed threats are shared on social media, and about the potential consequences of making statements that could be perceived as a threat to schools.
The video, released Wednesday, aims to get families talking, according to Cpl. Jon Light, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.
“The safety of everyone involved in the school system is a top priority,” Light said in an email on Thursday, “and we can best accomplish that when people report threats to us to investigate without causing panic by spreading unsubstantiated rumors.”
Many baseless threats start on social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, and spread before police become aware, Lt. Phil Lawrence of the sheriff’s office said in the video. Anyone who learns of a threat should immediately report it to school administrators or law enforcement, he added.
“The sooner we can determine the legitimacy and the sources of the threat, the sooner we can focus on learning,” Lawrence said in the video.
Lawrence said threats are not a laughing matter.
“Some perpetrators who make a threat state it was just a joke,” Lawrence said in the video, “but what’s not funny is the unnecessary fear it places on thousands of students, the waste of resources that distract law enforcement from keeping schools physically safe, and the criminal charges you face for making a threat.”
Anyone threatening a school could be charged with threats of mass violence and disturbing school activities, among other charges, Lawrence said. Threats of mass violence carry a penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $10,000. Additionally, perpetrators may be responsible for reimbursing police and other agencies for the cost of resources used in the response.
Disturbing school activities carries a penalty of up to six months imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $2,500.
“We take school safety very seriously,” Lawrence said in the video, “and threats of violence against our schools will not be tolerated.”
A reported bomb threat against Francis Scott Key High School on Sept. 18 spread through social media and likely originated from outside Carroll County. It ultimately was determined not credible, according to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.
Got a news tip? Contact Thomas Goodwin Smith at [email protected].
