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Preventing the Next School Shooting

By District Attorney Summer Stephan

06/21/2022
in City Attorney News, Feature, Featured, Features
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Preventing the Next School Shooting

image by shutterstock

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Over the last 20 years, what once was the safest place for our children – school – has turned into a place of constant worry and questionable security. In the face overwhelming grief over the tremendous loss of life at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, it feels like we have arrived at a time where school shootings and mass killings are the norm. With school and public venue safety at the top of our minds, I want to remind San Diegans of the efforts the District Attorney’s Office has undertaken to prioritize school safety and to emphasize the critical role the public plays in preventing school shootings.

In 2018, San Diego County established a School Threats Protocol, which guides how school, law enforcement and prosecutors respond to school threats. The protocol was updated in 2021 with the help of many agencies. It may be the first of its kind protocol with all 42 school districts in the county participating with the goal of preventing would-be school shooters before they act.

Of course, the protocol is not foolproof, but at its heart it relies on the following:

  • Never ignore a threat of harm, no matter the form.
  • Every threat is taken seriously, with evidenced-based guidelines for investigation and resolution of the threat.

Taking threats seriously is supported by statistics.

  • 93% of school shooters make plans to carry out their attack and
  • 80% of them tell at least one person
  • 60% tell at least two people.

With these odds, it’s important for the public to know that you play a vital role in helping prevent school shootings by reporting suspected behavior or threats.

For anyone who thinks it’s funny to cause alarm and fear by posting a threat online or calling one into a school, these incidents go beyond a prank: they carry serious legal consequences, such as jail time. Making criminal threats is a felony crime even if there was no intent to carry out the threat; threatening words with the intent to cause fear and which reasonably cause someone to feel fear are sufficient for a felony charge. Juveniles can face jail time, or other consequences such as having their access to social media taken away by the court. It’s important to keep in mind however, that the juvenile justice system is meant to rehabilitate youthful offenders, not punish them. In instances where we can help them get on the right track with rehabilitation, mental health services and restorative justice methods, that is our first choice.

In the last 16 months, our office received 43 school threats cases to review for formal charges, of which 10 cases have been filed in juvenile court. Our message is clear: every school threat is being fully investigated and every suspect will be held accountable.

Here are some of the factors the DA’s Office and law enforcement consider, to confirm the credibility of a threat once the suspect has been identified:

  • Investigate their background, including whether the person made prior threats
  • Look at open-source intelligence such as social media posts
  • Check to see if they have registered guns, have made recent ammunition purchases or have access to guns
  • Check on whether there has been contact with terrorist organizations
  • Determine whether they have had psychiatric holds or other mental health red flags
  • Research whether the person has had a recent traumatic event or grievance with a particular school or person associated with a school

Even though we have a way to measure successful prosecution, it’s not as easy to measure successful intervention, but preventing even one death or one school shooting is our duty. The best prevention for a school shooting is bystander intervention. We use public tips to investigate and interrupt violence. It’s everyone’s responsibility to report threats. You can also report anonymously at StudentsSpeakingOut.org.

As your District Attorney, I’m committed to increasing communication and accessibility between the DA’s Office and the public. I hope these consumer and public safety tips have been helpful.

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Our community has been built on the need for resou Our community has been built on the need for resources and support, and sectors in our community have also been called to create organizations that enrich and serve their own specific needs. One such organization is the San Diego LGBTQ Coalition.  Read full article on the link below
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Are you thinking about having work done on your ho Are you thinking about having work done on your home that will cost more than $500 in labor and materials? If so, you should take precautions before hiring a contractor. Any person providing home improvements or repairs above the $500 handyman exception is required to have a state issued license from the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). Read more on the link below 

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So many New Year resolutions have to do with the b So many New Year resolutions have to do with the body: we want it slimmer or more muscular. We decide to eat healthier, choose a no-alcohol January or start going to the gym again. In themselves, these are good aspirations. But I wonder: are we respecting our bodies or are we attending the Church of Body Worship? Read all about on the latest Life Beyond Therapy.

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