This week the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Douglas County School District have been investigating many threats at a few Douglas County Schools. Each rumored threat was fully investigated and determined non-credible. It was during these investigations that we learned students were falsely reporting threats against their schools in an attempt to shut down the schools on April 20th, the anniversary of the Columbine School shooting.
We will always investigate each threat as if it is a credible one until proven otherwise, however, these investigations are cumbersome and taxing on resources which is why we are taking a zero tolerance approach with false reporting, which includes the reporting of false tips via Text A Tip, Safe2Tell, and Denver Metro Crime Stoppers.
Today, two student arrests were made for false reporting to authorities which is a class 3 misdemeanor, and one of the students was additionally charged with interference with staff, faculty, or students at an educational institution, which is a class 1 misdemeanor, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, which is a class 4 felony.
At this time we’d like to remind parents to talk to their students about the seriousness of making false reports and participating in the spread of rumors. If a student believes they have learned of a legitimate threat please contact us or school staff immediately. No student will be punished for reporting information that they believe to be true.
Sheriff Tony Spurlock and Interim Superintendent Erin Kane want citizens to know that student safety is a high priority for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Douglas County School District. We will continue to work closely with the Douglas County School District to ensure safety in all Douglas County schools.