Crime & Safety

Police Chief: School District is Safe after Bomb Threat

Northern Regional Police Department continues investigation.

That is what  Chief T. Robert Amann said this morning in the wake of Tuesday's bomb threat at .

"The threat that we had yesterday has been checked out and everything is fine. Life is normal again," said Amann. "[Bomb threats] happen ever so often. They happen in every school district. We don't get them often."

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Although he would not disclose many details because the incident was still under investigation, the police chief described the threat.

"Scripture was located on a bathroom wall that was threatening in nature," he said. 

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Four bomb-sniffing dogs were brought in to do a room-by-room search of the building, Amann said. The dogs were from the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office and Northern Regional, he said.

Police blocked entrances/exits during the sweep; only buses were allowed to come on campus, said Amann.

"Things would go a lot smoother if parents didn't rush [in to pick up students]," he said. 

"We know all parents are concerned," Amann continued. But it would be difficult to keep things orderly if an onslaught of parents arrived, he said.

As students returned to the school on Warrendale Road on Wednesday morning, their bags and backpacks were checked by police and a metal detector wand was used by the school administration on each student, the police chief said.

PRSD Communications Director Rachel Hathhorn said everything went smoothly.

Hathhorn sent out phone and email alerts to parents Tuesday through the district's rapid-response system. She also posted information on the district's website and communicated with the media.

The first three alerts were sent only to high school parents to tell them students had been moved to Pine-Richland Middle School as a precaution after the bomb threat was discovered. 

The alerts also noted that Northern Regional police were doing a sweep of the building.

The high school students were dismissed from their middle school location and parents were told to use the Logan Road entrance,  not the Warrendale entrance, which was blocked off by police.

Also, after-school activities on the campus were canceled.

At the end of the day, Hathhorn sent out a district-wide communication to parents. 

"Although police have declared the campus to be safe this afternoon, the administration will continue to take extra precautions as necessary," Hathhorn's Tuesday evening email said. "The district takes all threats seriously."

 

 

 

 


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