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Phoenix Police warn of surge in social‑media school threats; urge immediate reporting and preservation
Summary
Detective Romero told the State Board Phoenix PD has documented escalating social‑media threats to schools (peaks each September), described investigative steps and legal tools (terroristic‑threat statutes), and urged districts to call law enforcement immediately, preserve evidence, and consider parent‑handbook consequences.
Detective Romero of the Phoenix Police Department briefed the Arizona State Board of Education on a marked increase in school threats delivered via social media. He said the city has tracked threats since 2018 and typically sees a September spike; in one recent month Phoenix logged 83 school threats that required investigation. Romero said the department treats every report as potentially serious and pursues preservation, vetting and investigative steps with the FBI and local partners.
Romero outlined investigative practices: search and image‑source checks, preservation requests to secure social media accounts, and interagency referrals to the FBI’s counterterrorism/intelligence center. He said the city has started charging terroristic‑threats cases under ARS 13‑23‑0802 (making terroristic threats) and that the statute can apply even where the poster claims a joke; he noted the law’s penalties can extend to parents in some cases under recent changes (a fine of up to $10,000 is possible, as described in Romero’s presentation).
The detective urged schools and parents to call law enforcement immediately (do not wait until morning), to partner with police so investigators can begin preservation steps, and to include clear language in parent handbooks about the consequences of posting threats. He also recommended school safety walkthroughs, consideration of off‑duty officers for immediate campus presence, and targeted presentations to families about social‑media risks and reposting. Board members asked about interagency communications, technology platforms and whether most threats ultimately prove hoaxes; Romero said most reported threats are unfounded but investigators treat every report as potentially credible and cited one recent arrest linked to 13 schools and over 1,000 students missing classes.
The board did not issue new policy at the meeting but discussed options for state‑level guidance to improve school–law‑enforcement interoperability and parent outreach.
