Technology

Bomb Threats Shared Electronically Close Schools

Published

8 years ago

April 2, 2015

In this Jan. 13, 2014 file photo, students pass by Seven Lakes High School after being evacuated and released from school for the day after a bomb squad was called to the school after a potentially explosive device was found. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan, File)

KIMBERLY HEFLING, AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tech-savvy students and others are using smartphone apps, social media and Internet phone services to make anonymous reports of bombs and other threats of violence at schools. The result: school evacuations and police sweeps.

In most cases, such a threat turns out to be a hoax. Still, the use of the modern technologies has made it that much harder to determine if a threat is real and to find the culprit, compared to the past when they were often called in by pay phone or written on bathroom walls.

Just this week, a 16-year-old from Gateway High School in Kissimmee, Florida, was arrested for posting about a bomb threat on Twitter because “she was angry and did not want to go to school,” according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.

School safety experts say the number of such incidents appears to be increasing — as are the complexity of the cases. The latest figures from the National Center for Education Statistics for the 2009-2010 school year show 5,700 such disruptions.

“They send a great deal of fear and panic throughout a community,” said Kenneth Trump, a school safety consultant who is president of National School Safety and Security Services. His group reviewed more than 800 threats reported in the media during the first half of the 2014-2015 school year and found that about one-third were sent electronically using text message, social media, email or other online means.

Complicating matters, the threats aren’t just coming from within school walls or even a school’s neighborhood.

Last fall, Lakota Middle School in Federal Way, Washington, was placed in lockdown and police responded after an email purportedly from the Islamic State group demanded ransom money and threatened to “shoot and kill” every American, according to a police report. A 14-year-old student was arrested after admitting the email had been sent by her online friend “Ryan” after she told him to “swat” her school because she thought it would be funny, police said.

“Swatting” plays off the idea of issuing a threat that draws a SWAT team in response, disrupting activities at the target of the threat. It appears to have originated with pranksters in the online gaming community.

In a separate case, a 14-year-old in western Michigan was ordered by a judge to pay nearly $8,000 in restitution to the Coopersville Area Public Schools and the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office for his involvement in a swatting incident that put schools in lockdown after a caller using computer-based technology made threats against the schools. Authorities say the call was made by a person code-named “Ransom,” whom the teen had met online. “Ransom” is believed to live in the United Kingdom and is suspected in a string of similar incidents from coast to coast, authorities said.

“He will learn from this,” the teen’s father said, according to the Grand Rapids Press in Michigan.

The motivations of the threat makers vary: avoiding a test, revenge or simply to show off. With swatting, a motivation appears to be thrill-seeking, said Capt. Mark Bennett with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office.

It’s not too difficult for students to figure out how to pull off such an incident, said Justin Cappos, a computer science professor at New York University who studies cybersecurity. “You wander to the wrong parts of the Internet and you can learn how to do it and not get caught,” Cappos said.

With each incident, there’s a risk when authorities respond, said Detective Jerrad Ely, a digital forensics expert with the Mount Vernon Police Department in Washington who has been investigating a bomb threat case against a school in his community. “They could inadvertently get hurt when police are just trying to do their jobs based on the best information that they have,” he said.

Applications such as Burnbook, Afterschool, Yik Yak, Whisper and Kik also have been used by students to make threats anonymously.

In Michigan, Superintendent Timothy Stein of the Flushing Community Schools wrote to parents in December informing them about a posting on Afterschool that said, “Bringing a Gun to School.” The posting had been brought to the high school principal’s attention by a text message; police quickly determined that it was not a credible threat.

“I encourage you to ask you child to stop using this app and remove it from their phone,” Stein said.

Every threat has to be taken seriously even though in most cases the called-in danger is not real, said David Pennington, superintendent of schools in Ponca City, Oklahoma, and president of the AASA School Superintendents Association.

Meanwhile, social media and other electronic means of communication are keeping parents informed about threats. Mindful of past school shootings, they are demanding that children be pulled out of school even as school and law enforcement officials investigate.

“The security of people has been greatly eroded in this country, as you know, just through awful things that have happened,” said Mark Davidson, deputy superintendent at the Federal Way Public Schools.

_____

Follow Kimberly Hefling on Twitter: http://twitter.com/khefling

Related Topics:bomb threats school safety school shootings

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Black History

Granville Woods: The Black Edison

Granville T. Woods, a name that reverberates through the annals of technological innovation, was a trailblazing inventor whose contributions transformed the world. Born before the U.S. Civil War, Woods overcame significant obstacles to become one of the most prolific inventors of his time.

Published

2 months ago

July 11, 2023

Oakland Post

Granville Woods. Public domain photo

By Tamara Shiloh

He was born on April 23, 1856, in Columbus, Ohio. Coming of age during the era of racial segregation, Woods faced immense challenges in pursuing his passion for engineering. Denied formal education, he taught himself through relentless self-study and practical experience. Despite racial discrimination, Woods went on to establish a successful career as an inventor, leaving an indelible mark on American technological advancements.

He left school at the age of 10 due to his parents’ poverty and apprenticed in a machine shop learning the trades of a machinist and blacksmith. At 18, he worked as a fireman on a railroad in Missouri, moving to Springfield, Illinois, where he worked at a mill. From 1876-78, some sources say he attended college and studied mechanical and electrical engineering.

He worked on a steamship and rose to the position of chief engineer before returning to Ohio where he became an engineer with the Dayton and Southwestern Railroad. He established a business as an electrical engineer and inventor in 1880 in Cincinnati, reorganized it as the Woods Electric Co. and 12 years later, moved research operations to New York City where he worked with his brother, Lyates, who was also an inventor.

Granville Woods’ most significant contributions were in the field of railway technology. He invented numerous devices that revolutionized the safety and efficiency of railroad systems. One of his notable inventions was the “Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph,” which allowed communication between trains, reducing the risk of accidents.

Additionally, Woods developed the “Induction Telegraph System,” enabling moving trains to communicate with station operators. His inventions played a pivotal role in enhancing the safety, reliability, and coordination of train operations, earning him the nickname “The Black Edison.”

Beyond the railroad industry, Woods made groundbreaking advancements in electrical engineering and communication. He invented the “Telegraphony,” a device that combined the telegraph and telephone, allowing voice communication over long distances.

Woods also developed the “Multiplex Railway Telegraph,” which allowed simultaneous communication on multiple telegraph lines. His inventions greatly influenced the development of telegraph and telephone technology, leading to improved communication systems.

One invention that is still used today is the safety dimmer, allowing theaters to decrease their electricity use by 10%.

Before he died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Harlem on Jan. 30, 1910, he had sold a number of his devices to Westinghouse, General Electric and American Engineering.

Woods held over 60 patents for his inventions, leaving an enduring legacy in the field of engineering. Woods’ contributions were posthumously recognized, and in 2006, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Bay Area

President Joe Biden Concludes Bay Area Visit

President Joe Biden has concluded his three-day trip to the Bay Area after departing Wednesday morning from San Francisco International Airport on Air Force One. On Monday, Biden visited Palo Alto to announce a $600 million investment toward climate adaptation strategies across the country.

Published

3 months ago

June 25, 2023

Oakland Post

On Tuesday, Biden discussed the future of artificial intelligence technology with Newsom and a collective of tech leaders at the Fairmont San Francisco hotel. The discussion comes as AI tools like ChatGPT emerge into the public sector. The technology is both promising and risky -- Biden noted that while it may boost productivity, AI can also make spotting misinformation harder and put human jobs at risk.

By Olivia Wynkoop
Bay City News

President Joe Biden has concluded his three-day trip to the Bay Area after departing Wednesday morning from San Francisco International Airport on Air Force One.

On Monday, Biden visited Palo Alto to announce a $600 million investment toward climate adaptation strategies across the country.

He announced the investment at Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center and Preserve, a marshland estimated to protect nearly 1,600 homes from flooding and sea level rise. Biden noted the preserve as a “success story” in the efforts to better prepare for climate-induced natural disasters and mitigate carbon pollution.

He also announced an additional $67 million in federal funds for California to build power lines. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who also attended the announcement, said the assistance will support the state’s push for 100 percent clean energy by 2045.

A White House representative said Biden then went on to attend two re-election campaign fundraising events, one hosted in Los Gatos and another hosted in Atherton.

On Tuesday, Biden discussed the future of artificial intelligence technology with Newsom and a collective of tech leaders at the Fairmont San Francisco hotel.

The discussion comes as AI tools like ChatGPT emerge into the public sector. The technology is both promising and risky — Biden noted that while it may boost productivity, AI can also make spotting misinformation harder and put human jobs at risk.

The president said he is committed to implementing safeguards to ensure there are no threats to national security or the economy before these tools become public.

The discussion included input from Dr. Arati Prabhakar, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Tristan Harris of the Center for Human Technology and Jim Steyer of Common Sense Media, among other Silicon Valley stakeholders.

Later Tuesday, Biden attended two more fundraisers in Marin County and San Francisco before heading back Wednesday morning to Washington, D.C., according to White House officials.

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

Bay Area

MARIN CO.: RETROFITTED BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER TO BE USED FOR NORTH BAY WILDFIRES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PG&E

A Black Hawk helicopter modified to haul 900 gallons of water will be boosting the Marin County Fire Department’s aerial resources this fire season in a pilot program with PG&E. The Marin County Board of Supervisors at its regular meeting Tuesday authorized the fire department’s chief to enter into an agreement with PG&E for the trial program.

Published

3 months ago

June 24, 2023

Oakland Post

This modified, PG&E-owned Black Hawk Sikorsky UH-60A will be stationed in the North Bay as part of a trial partnership with the Marin County Fire Department from July-October 2023. (PG&E via Bay City News)

By Thomas Hughes

Bay City News

A Black Hawk helicopter modified to haul 900 gallons of water will be boosting the Marin County Fire Department’s aerial resources this fire season in a pilot program with PG&E.

The Marin County Board of Supervisors at its regular meeting Tuesday authorized the fire department’s chief to enter into an agreement with PG&E for the trial program.

PG&E owns the helicopter, which is a Sikorsky UH-60A model. PG&E will pay for the cost of operating the helicopter in county areas for the first two hours of flight time per mission, up to a total of 40 hours of flight time during fire season. It will also cover the cost of staging the helicopter and having pilots on standby. Operators will be from Red Bluff-based PJ Helicopters.

Fires that are burning in state or federal land can be fully reimbursed by relevant partner agencies, according to Marin County Fire Chief Jason Weber, who made the request to the board.

The Black Hawk will be exclusively available to the Marin County Fire Department and partner agencies, which will have the ability to utilize the helicopter in other North Bay Area counties as needed.

Weber said the partnership will provide a resource that the fire department otherwise couldn’t afford.

“The cost of aircraft is prohibitively expensive, I would say, for small organizations like us or even our local government partners, cities, towns that are out there,” Weber said during his presentation.

The addition of the dedicated helicopter is meant to provide additional capacity when other air resources provided by Cal Fire are tied up elsewhere.

A PG&E spokesman who spoke at the board meeting said it was the first such pilot program the utility had undertaken.

“This partnership represents a pivotal moment in our collective efforts to address the wildfire risk that threatens our communities,” said Mark Quinlan, senior vice president of wildfire & emergency operations at PG&E.

Operational command during fires will go through the fire department’s command center. Requests by partner agencies to use the helicopter will also go through the fire department.

The program will run from July through October.

The location where the helicopter will be staged is still undetermined, but it will be somewhere in the North Bay, according to Weber.

Cal Fire has two aircraft designated to cover Marin County. One is staged at Moffett Federal Airfield in Santa Clara County and the other is stationed at the Boggs Mountain Helitack Base in Lake County.

“This gives us a resource that’s a little bit closer, with the goal that we’re keeping small fires small,” Weber said.