HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Senator Michele Brooks (R-Crawford, Lawrence, Mercer) will be introducing a bill that would make falsely reporting an emergency threat at any educational facility in the Commonwealth new felony criminal penalties.
“In the tragic wake of the recent Nashville school shooting that took the lives of three children and three staff, hoax callers falsely alerted law enforcement agencies of active school shooter situations in multiple counties across our state,” said Brooks.
Altoona, Hollidaysburg, Bellefonte, Central Catholic, and other schools in Pennsylvania had police swarming their schools on the morning of March 29.
“These calls triggered a massive emergency response, creating perilous conditions for students, teachers, and public safety agencies alike,” says Brooks.
According to Brooks, the bill will be introduced in the near future.
Police took these hoax calls seriously and acted on them as if they were true reports.
