Tennessee Office of Homeland Security investigated 344 school threats since Aug. 2023
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee’s Office of Homeland Security received nearly 350 reports of school threats across the state since the beginning of the school year, many of which were reported through the SafeTN app.
The SafeTN app, which launched in 2019 and was revamped a few years later, not only allows users to anonymously report possible threats and concerning behavior, but it also offers resources for those struggling with mental health. Every threat report that comes through the app and other channels is investigated by officials.
When a threat comes in, a multidisciplinary threat assessment team, which every school district is now required to have thanks to a new state law, immediately begins an investigation. The team works with other groups, including local law enforcement, to determine whether the threat is credible, or if the person who made it has a real capability and intent to carry out the act.
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“A lot of the threats we look into do not have capability and intent. It may just be a kid trying to get out of his math test, but we don’t know that until we investigate,” Deputy Commissioner of the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security, Greg Mays said.
TN’s Office of Homeland Security received 344 reports of school threats since Aug. 1, according to Mays. However, since that number only accounts for the threats that were reported to the state, Mays believes there were likely more.
“We’re talking about at least one threat to a school somewhere in Tennessee every day, and I think that’s been enabled in large part by digital communications,” Mays said.
Technology, including social media and artificial intelligence, are often used to threaten acts of violence against schools.
The Office of Homeland Security is using technology to its advantage too through the SafeTN app, which provides Tennesseans with yet another method to report threats and other concerning behavior.
“There’s a lot of research out there from the National Threat Assessment Center and other places that tell us the best ways to protect our schools and communities is to have multiple avenues of reporting; to create an environment where reporting is welcomed, it is acted upon, and it is encouraged,” Mays said.
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Mays told News 2 he would encourage those who happen to hear of a potential threat to report it to officials, no matter how minor it may seem, so they can investigate and avoid a possible tragedy.
“I’m often asked as the Deputy Commissioner of Homeland Security what threat in Tennessee concerns you the most, and my answer is always the one I don’t know about,” Mays said. “If I know about it, then I can at least investigate and try to do something to stop it.”
To learn more about the SafeTN app, or to download it for free, click here.
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