Threat to school appears linked to wave of calls

‘Very little credibility,’ says chief; patrols stepped up as precaution

By Daniel Kittredge
Posted 2/11/16

A threatening call made to Cranston High School East and the Cranston Public Schools administration on Tuesday appears linked to a recent spate of such computer-generated hoaxes originating overseas …

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Threat to school appears linked to wave of calls

‘Very little credibility,’ says chief; patrols stepped up as precaution

Posted

A threatening call made to Cranston High School East and the Cranston Public Schools administration on Tuesday appears linked to a recent spate of such computer-generated hoaxes originating overseas and directed at other schools across the globe, according to Chief of Police Col. Michael Winquist.

“We give these threats very little credibility, based on the history,” the chief said shortly after the call.

Schools Superintendent Jeannine Nota-Masse, said the “robocall threat” was received shortly after noon. She credited the presence of a school resource officer with allowing the investigation to begin immediately.

It was quickly determined the call was a hoax, she said, although students and staff followed the “shelter in place” drill until police gave the final clearance.

In a message to the community, Nota-Masse wrote: “All district safety protocols were followed and at no time were students or staff in danger. Cranston police were notified immediately and determined the threat was not credible. Our of an abundance of caution, they have increased patrols at our schools, as we have done in the past.”

Winquist said the call was “very similar” to the one made to the Warwick Police Department last week.

That call indicated bombs had been planted in the boiler room of Warwick Veterans High School, and warned that people armed with nerve agents and wearing suicide vests would detonate the explosives if anyone attempted to exit the building.

Warwick Vets received another threatening call on Tuesday, this time directly to the school. After a 20-minute lockdown, police in that city determined there was no threat.

Winquist described the voice on the Cranston call as robotic, which has been the case in other instances.

Schools in Newport and Middletown received threatening calls last week as well, while schools from Massachusetts to Australia have also been targeted in recent weeks. State police have said the computer-generated calls have been traced to Russia.

While it is too early to confirm the Cranston threat is tied to the others, Winquist said the evidence clearly indicates it is linked. He said information provided by the Rhode Island Fusion Center – part of a national intelligence-sharing network for law enforcement – helped in quickly determining the nature of the Cranston call.

Winquist lamented that such incidents have become “far too frequent,” and have taxed police resources while disrupting schools and worrying communities.

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