Law enforcers and school administrators in Utah are preparing for an increase in school-related threats and possible violence as the school year moves into April.
"It's that time of year," said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Shane Hudson.
Threats of violence at school are investigated year round, said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Shane Hudson. But the number of incidents is expected to increase in the coming weeks.
Law enforcement and school officials can't pin their expectations on any specific reason. Their explanations range from the upcoming second anniversary of the Columbine High School tragedy on April 20 to the change in season.
There have already been several incidents over the past few weeks that have kept local police on their toes.
On Tuesday, Sandy police sent extra officers to Jordan High School after a rumored threat went through the school that someone was going to "kill the jocks." The threats turned out to be a hoax.
Last Friday, a teacher at Butler Middle School pushed a panic button that
automatically notified Salt Lake County Sheriff's deputies of trouble after she thought a student told her he had a gun. When deputies found the boy, he claimed he only stated, "I gotta go."
A Bennion Junior High School student was suspended earlier this month because of a "hit list" she made. The 13-year-old girl said the list was a joke.
A second-grader from Copper Hills Elementary was suspended after threatening to get his dad's gun and shoot a classmate in the head.
Even though these youths claimed their threats were only a joke or a misunderstanding, police say it shows how seriously all threats are taken.
Hudson thinks the Columbine anniversary may have a little bit to do with the increase simply because it's on the news.
Students are constantly reminded of Columbine and school violence in the media, Hudson said. Along with memories of Columbine, recent school shootings in El Cajon, Calif., Santee, Calif., and Williamsport, Pa., are played prominently in evening newscasts.
The two men responsible for the Columbine tragedy, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, have become martyr-like figures for some students nationally. The pair killed themselves after gunning down 13 others at their Colorado school. Supporters of Harris and Klebold have set up Web sites in their memory.
The increased threats just may be due to spring, said Jordan District spokeswoman Melinda Colton. Students start phoning in bomb threats simply because they don't want to go to school, she said.
The sheriff's department has worked with school districts locally since Columbine to make many changes in security.
The department is expected to complete a book next month that maps out every school in its jurisdiction and can be used in the event of school violence.
The books will contain overhead pictures of the school, satellite images of the school and the surrounding area and maps of the schools, its hallways and even the areas where access can be gained through the roof.
Those books will be given to SWAT teams and deputies who work closely with the schools. They can be used to establish command posts and landing zones in the event air support is needed.
In addition to planning, SWAT teams are now training in the schools on weekends, said Hudson.
But short of turning a school into a prison, you cannot prevent a Columbine-like incident from happening, Hudson said. "Schools are accessible."
Deputies need to be pro-active and make plans that will minimize the damage in the event of a school tragedy, he said.
The districts also are taking more precautions. Security cameras have become common in many schools. A no-trespassing ordinance is strictly enforced just about everywhere, Hudson said.
But while Columbine made schools more aware of the potential for violence, it didn't send officials scrambling to find new ways to define security, Colton said.
The incident at Jordan High School, for example, would have been handled the same way five years ago as it was this week, she said.
Law enforcers and the school districts look at their safety and security every year, Colton said. They did that before Columbine. The idea of making schools safe is not a new phenomenon, she said.
In fact, schools are still some of the safest places in the state, Colton said. Fewer crimes are committed against children in school than in their own homes, she said.
"What the recent incidents of school violence have done is remind students their own safety is their responsibility," Colton said.
No longer are students perceived as tattletales if they hear a threat, she said. Students need to tell a teacher or a police officer if they hear of any possible trouble.
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