Threats to cause violence on school campuses via social media continue to be a prolific problem throughout the state and the nation. Last week and over the weekend, local schools and law enforcement agencies have been inundated with reports of social media posts indicating possible threats. Between the valley and the Tucson areas, over one hundred threats have been reported to the police.
Scottsdale Police investigators work closely with our School Resource Officers, Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) staff and other police agencies to address these threats. The Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center (ACTIC) is working on compiling the various threats, as many of them across the country are using the same verbiage and photos but with updated school names. Some of these threats recently impacted schools in Scottsdale. These threats cause genuine concern for the students and the faculty, as well as distract from other law enforcement investigations and education efforts.
Scottsdale PD is committed to working with SUSD staff to ensure the safety of students and faculty members. We treat each threat seriously and investigate it immediately to check its validity. We work with the schools to ensure security measures are in place while we investigate the threat. So far this school year, none of the threats have been valid to schools in Scottsdale. As stated above, many of these threats originate outside the SUSD schools, Scottsdale and even Arizona.
Keeping students and our community safe is a top priority. We want anyone who sees a social media threat to a school or any other location to feel empowered to report it to law enforcement or school staff immediately. Sharing is not the same as reporting and can cause unnecessary delays. If you see something, please say something right away. Scottsdale PD and SUSD staff will take the information and act accordingly to ensure the safety of our students and community. Those who participate in making social media threats could be subject to arrest and criminal prosecution.
For emergencies, dial 911. The Scottsdale Police non-emergency number is 480-312-5000.
