TUCSON, Ariz. - It seems like we hear about them more and more, social media threats aimed at schools and students.
Those social media threats are something law enforcement officials are always on the lookout for.
Just last week, last enforcement officials investigated two separate threats at two different southern Arizona schools. One of those threats was at an Oro Valley school, and the other at a Tucson school.
In the Oro Valley school district every school has at least one school resource officer. That officer not only builds relationships with the students but also works behind the scenes to make sure all students and staff are safe and secure.
“Safety is going to be our biggest, biggest priority." said Officer Andrea Keena, a school resource officer at Copper Creek Elementary School.
On a daily basis, Officer Keena makes sure all gates surrounding the school are locked as well as all perimeter doors.
“Coming here, that was actually my biggest thing. I was actually a little bit surprised, the perimeter doors weren’t always locked," said Officer Keena.
While keeping campus secure is a top priority, school resource officers like Officer Keena spring into action the moment they hear about a social media threat aimed at a school.
“Whether it’s a student who is first seeing it, whether it’s a teacher, if it’s a student telling their parent about it. The biggest and most important thing is communicating that to your local police department," said Officer Keena.
When officers are made aware of a social media threat, urgency kicks in.
“Who’s making the threat, what type of threat are they making, and what are the means of this. “Who’s making the threat, what type of threat are they making, and what are the means of this. Is it a current student at the school, is it a student who has already graduated, is it a student who’s been expelled or suspended," said Officer Keena.
All questions school resource officers need to find answers to, fast. All of those answers help school resource officers determine whether the threat they are dealing with is credible or not.
“We’re really trying to figure out who this person is, where this person physically is at this moment and making contact with them," Officer Keena said.
Officer Keena said she's seen threats come from various social media sites including Snapchat, Twitter and even some gaming sites. She added many of the times she's seen those threats send a similar message.
Regardless, she wants students to know social media threats are not a laughing matter. She added making one comes with serious consequences that can include criminal charges.
“We are trained to protect and help people who need that so if we feel that anybody’s life is being threatened we’re going to react to that and make sure that they are safe," she said.
So far this year, the Oro Valley Police Department has investigated at least two different social media threats.
