Wave of school shooting threats erupt in Florida, US. Can teens go to jail? How to report

Since a teenager took an AR-style weapon and opened fire at a rural Georgia high school, killing two students and two teachers, a wave of school shooting threats has spread across the country resulting in arrests, increased police presence, and school lockdowns or closings.

On the same day as the Appalachee High shooting, a 15-year-old in a neighboring county was taken into custody after other students heard him talking about "finishing the job."

Just a few days later, a 13-year-old girl was arrested in Hillsborough County, Florida after she posted to Instagram, "im the one whos gonna shoot up dowdell middle magnet." She told sheriff's deputies it was meant it as a joke.

Since then more children have been arrested around the country, including at least 13 in Florida across multiple counties in recent days. Violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety told USA TODAY it found more than three dozen threats.

The practice has been called "swatting" and it can be dangerous, even if it was meant to be funny.

What is swatting?

"Swatting" is making a hoax call to law enforcement in the hopes of deliberately causing a large police or SWAT team response. Sometimes it's aimed at a specific person, sometimes it's just randomly done to cause chaos and tie up resources.

Many early instances of swatting were against gamers who were streaming themselves online while playing, which meant the hoaxsters might be able to enjoy watching police break down the door behind the hapless victim. It quickly became a way to harass anyone the caller wanted to antagonize and possibly cause harm.

Is swatting illegal?

Yes. Issuing a threat over social media, by text message or through e-mail is a federal crime (threatening interstate communications). People posting or sending such threats can receive up to five years in federal prison, or they can face state or local charges.

In Florida, making threats of violence on social media platforms is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, up to 15 years of probation and a $10,000 fine, according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.

You also can be charged with a variety of other things such as conspiracy to commit access device fraud and unauthorized access of a protected computer, misuse of 911 systems and other related crimes.

What is a code red in Florida schools?

A code red lockdown is when there is an immediate or potential threat to campus safety, invoking a full-scale lockdown on the campus.

How do you report a school shooting threat? About Fortify Florida

The Fortify Florida app from the Florida Attorney General, the Department of Education, and the Department of Law Enforcement can be used to report threats made against schools.
The Fortify Florida app from the Florida Attorney General, the Department of Education, and the Department of Law Enforcement can be used to report threats made against schools.

According to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, "Making threats, even if it is in jest, can have serious consequences. Youth, parents, and teachers are also encouraged to report any and all threats they see or hear. They can notify law enforcement or report a threat anonymously through Florida’s FortifyFL App."

The FortifyFL App is a "suspicious activity reporting tool" that helps instantly relay critical information to the appropriate law enforcement agencies and school officials when there is an imminent threat.

Of course, you can also always call 9-1-1 to report your emergency.

If you need more resources, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice has a resource guide to school threats.

Is swatting dangerous?

Aside from reports of active shooters traumatizing students, staff and parents, anytime law enforcement must respond to a false call of an active shooter or mass casualties, there is the chance of accidents.

In 2017, California resident Tyler Barriss made a swatting call reporting a fake hostage situation after arguing with a fellow gamer playing "Call of Duty." He gave an address of an innocent, unrelated person who police ended up fatally shooting during their response. Barriss was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

"A crash injured a Georgia police officer who was responding to a falsely reported school shooting at a middle school Sep. 13," said Jay Farlow, spokesperson for the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) in an email. "An upset parent punched a window at a Texas high school September 19 while waiting for access to his child after a false shooting call at the school, leading officers on scene to apply a tourniquet."

They also drain significant resources from schools and local authorities and pull law enforcement attention away from actual crimes and emergencies.

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Kayla Jimenez, USA TODAY and Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: School shooting threats result in arrests across Florida, US