After a rise of school threats in Georgia, one local sheriff is urging people to act
After a rise of school threats in Georgia, one local sheriff is urging people to act
Sheriff Daniel Cape says the threats not only impact school families, but also his deputies.
BLECKLEY COUNTY, Ga. — School districts across the state are seeing an increased trend of reported threats since the Apalachee High School shooting.
This week, one Central Georgia sheriff took to social media to address threats made against schools in his county.
“Parents send their kids to school every day with somewhat of a belief that they’re safe and they’re nurtured and taken care of,” Bleckley County Sheriff Daniel Cape said. “Then, I have to do my part to ensure that that happens as well.”
Two students in Bleckley County allegedly made threats to their classmates, while another student brought a bullet to the school.
All three were arrested, but two remain in the youth detention center.
Cape says he’s tired of the threats disrupting the entire community. He says he has noticed the impact firsthand in his own department, as well as other law enforcement agencies around the state.
“You leave one threat investigation and you may go back to what you’re doing for 30 minutes and you get another threat investigation,” he said. “It’s very tiring, it’s very time-consuming. It just drains you.”
The Bleckley County Sheriff’s Office is consulting with the Department of Juvenile Justice to determine credible threats and when to make arrests.
On Facebook, he warned the public about the possibility of arresting parents amid these ongoing threats.
He is advising parents to check their kids’ social media, texts, and emails.
“That’s the only way you’re gonna know because these assumptions aren’t gonna go very far,” he said. “We’re gonna be coming to you if your child is participating in this activity and want to know why you haven’t done something about it as well.”
As for students – if they see something, he says they should say something.
“Let someone know,” Cape said. “You be the one who makes a difference and stops that chain of this being shared and spread throughout this county and this state. Be the difference.”
Cape says he also wants the students making these threats to consider the consequences of their actions.
“We’re gonna charge you no matter the age,” Cape said. “We’re gonna charge you and you’re gonna be held in custody to the length that the court determines and we’re gonna make a difference one way or the other.”
Cape confirmed there are no active or credible threats in the county, but they have since increased law enforcement presence at all schools as a precaution.