Published in the Quad-City Times on Sep. 18, 2024

Davenport Police Chief Jeff Bladel announced in a press conference on Wednesday that police are aware of an increase in “vague, non-specific” threats of violence in schools circulating on social media.

After investigating several of them, police have determined that the threats are “non-credible,” Bladel said.

Bladel didn’t specify where the recent threats may have originated, but said they have impacted out-of-state schools that “may share generic names with schools within our own community.” 

Davenport Schools superintendent TJ Schneckloth said the threats have “drastically impacted” attendance and resources allocated in the schools.

“Our administrators do a wonderful job of doing that to make sure the days are not disrupted as much as possible,” Schneckloth said. “But it still is a disruption both with attendance and certain things have to come inside, we have to ensure that our buildings are secure.” 

Bladel said that these threats can tie up resources for police, too, but they are “always going to be a priority.” 

“If (threats) are known to be non-credible and they’re continually being shared, that’s still chewing into the resources of your police department, of your school district, and it kind of handcuffs us a little bit,” he said.

Going forward, Bladel asked parents and students stop sharing screenshots of these threats online, and instead report them to law enforcement and school officials. 

“Instances like these are an important reminder about how powerful our social media (is) and how quickly misinformation and rumors can be spread,” Bladel said.

“We encourage you to talk to your children about the importance of responsible social media use and the dangers of spreading unverified information that can cause unnecessary fear and concern.”

Local media outlets nationwide — including in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas — reported school districts upped security measures last week due to social media threats. Earlier this month, two students and two teachers were killed in a school shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia. 

Last week, John Deere Middle School in Moline had additional police presence after a baseless social media threat circulated among students and families. That threat was later tracked back to a school district in Ohio, police said. Threats have also been investigated in Eldridge, Rock Island and East Moline. 

Bladel said there have been seven reports of threats against Davenport schools since the start of this school year, four of which were in the last two weeks.

When it comes to identifying misinformation, Bladel said police aren’t asking parents and students to differentiate between credible and non-credible posts, but rather to just report them. 

“A lot of times they don’t report it to an official, they don’t give us an opportunity to jump on it and investigate it,” he said. “They’ll share it with ten people, and then those ten people will share it with ten people before we even have a chance to look at it.

“What we want to be able to do is jump on those very rapidly.”

Reporter Olivia Allen contributed to this story.