A local school security expert has warned that he has seen a pattern in the escalation of school threats.
Former Dallas ISD Police Chief Craig Miller noted that threats of school violence tend to happen in clusters.
“School threats have always surrounded the end of the year, the start of the year. When Christmas break comes, you’ll see an escalation; when spring break comes, you’ll see an escalation,” said Miller.
“I think when a kid sees someone else get a reaction, they’ll try to ‘copycat’ that, if you will,” said Miller.
The internet and social media make it easy for threats, whether credible or not, to spread quickly.
“People can put messages out anonymously sometimes, and so I think that the ability to the timeliness and how fast messages can go out,” Miller continued.
Miller advised parents to be alert to what their children are doing on social media.
“It’s important for parents to know you need to be in your kids’ business, you need to know who they are talking to on social media, you need to know what platforms they’re dealing with on social media,” he said.
On September 21, Everman ISD was alerted to a shooting threat circulating on social media. The district tweeted that the FBI and Everman police were investigating the threat.
Authorities were able to trace the threat back to an Instagram account and said they believe there is no longer danger present.
This came days after authorities thwarted a potential mass casualty event at the Everman High School homecoming football game, as reported by The Dallas Express.
The two suspects, Brandon Gipson and Isaac Cooper, both 18, face multiple charges, including unlawful carrying of a weapon in a prohibited place and terroristic threats.
A Keller ISD student was arrested on September 22 for bringing a firearm and ammunition onto the campus of Timber Creek High School.
After the school shooting in Uvalde last May, authorities are scrutinizing every threat.
“We don’t want anyone to think that we’re afraid to do our job or we won’t do our job, so I think we’re at a period now in this post-Uvalde time where I think we’re going to overreact as law enforcement,” Miller added.
Miller said that the “see something, say something” motto has been working, as many people have reported potential threats to authorities.