Fresno police stressing severity of fake threats towards schools

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- As police work to keep Fresno off of a growing list of cities associated with school shootings, they're stressing the dangers of fake threats.

"We're hypersensitive to mass shootings, to active shooters, especially at schools and this really triggers it," says Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama.

Balderrama says since September 1 of this year, his department has responded to seven schools within Fresno Unified at least once because of weapons or threats made by social media, text or third-person statements. They've investigated more than a dozen threats since the Bullard High School Swatting incident.

"Some of the kids we've filed charges on are facing some very serious felony charges that are going to change their lives forever," he said.

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The most recent school threat-related felony arrest involved a pre-teen.

"Actually took pics of guns and was spreading them around after the threat was made," Balderrama said. "That's very serious business."

Each threat he says is treated like the real deal, including resources expended.

"Trying to discover whether it's a viable threat, whether the individual is local or outside," he said. Whether they have the means any mechanisms to carry out that threat.

For privacy reasons, the school won't disclose the type of disciplinary actions taken if a student is found to be behind a school threat.

They are, however, urging the severity of the crime through classroom discussion, messaging to parents and a recent social media campaign to "Report, Don't Repost."

"They're after your repost," says Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson. "They are after your sensationalism. They're after your expanding the circle of harm and trauma."

Nelson says he stands with the department in urging parents to start that dialogue with their students.

"Don't give the people who initiate these things that type of scale, ability or strength," he said.