HARFORD COUNTY, Md. — Following the shooting death of 15-year-old Warren Grant at Joppatowne High School, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler says he expected a heightened awareness surrounding student safety to result in more reports of potential threats, but the number is steadily climbing.
“We’ve investigated roughly 20 now within the past week and a half or so,” said Gahler, “including another arrest last night for a second juvenile.”
A school resource officer at Fallston High School investigated the latest threat, which led to a student from an undisclosed school who also was charged with possessing ammunition.
This arrest came on the heels of another two days earlier after a student allegedly posted a threat on Snapchat about shooting up a school.
Harford County already has a school resource officer assigned to every middle and high school.
The question now is what additional measures may be needed to help protect the students.
“We can harden our schools. If we want our children to go to schools in prison, we can make that happen. I hate to see our country devolve that much,” said Gahler, “Our deputies did go down with the school system the other day to Dorchester County and looked at technology, including metal detectors, which has to have a security person or two there. You’re filtering 400, 500, 600 children into a school through metal detectors.”
It is an expensive option following a targeted shooting in a school bathroom that Gahler says could have just as easily played out in the community or when the school was closed.
Still, the sheriff is putting those who would make threats against school on notice.
“If there’s a crime committed, we’re going to make an arrest,” said Gahler, “Somebody’s going to be charged and if there’s other people tied, committing a crime, those people are going to be charged as well so we’re not going to play with this."
