The County Press

Online threat forces ‘secure mode’

Multi-agency response Monday at Imlay City Schools



IMLAY CITY — A suspect is in custody and being treated at McLaren Lapeer Region after being accused of making threats online Monday that caused Imlay City Schools to enter “secure mode.”

Early afternoon Monday school administrators relayed the suspicion of threats on social media to law enforcement, and shortly thereafter a joint investigation by the Imlay City Police Dept. and the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Dept. was launched, said Lapeer County Undersheriff Jeremy Howe. An 18-year-old suspect was taken into protective custody and transported to McLaren Lapeer Region for a mental health evaluation after it was reported the man planned to acquire a vehicle from an Imlay City car dealership to “raid drug houses and shoot people,” said Howe. “We took it seriously, interviewed everyone we could and executed the search warrant.”

Howe said that deputies seized from the suspect’s home a shotgun with ammunition, phones, computers and smoke grenades. The smoke grenades were turned over to the Michigan State Police for disposal. “Everything worked out really well, it was a joint operation between different agencies,” said Howe. “It worked out perfectly.”

It was reported that the recent Imlay City High School graduate made threats on social media, and while the threats were not directed at any individual associated with the school system or the buildings themselves, district superintendent Stu Cameron and administration placed the district into secure mode after contacting the Imlay City Police Dept. “As an extra precaution, while police made inquiries, and with the understanding that this was a very recent former student, I elected to place the schools in secure mode,” said Cameron.

Cameron said that secure mode differs from a lockdown, as it allows the district to continue uninterrupted teaching and learning in the buildings, while simultaneously taking extra safety precautions when there is no imminent danger to students. “It is a proactive, precautionary measure,” he said. “Secure mode is often used in this way for a range of potential issues, from a health concern in a building to a questionable stray dog on the playground, to situations like today in which we want to take extra precaution as we evaluate or try to project possible situations. It is different than a lockdown. A lockdown is a more extreme procedure that is used to react to a concern of imminent danger to those inside buildings or on campus.”

Imlay City Schools remained in secure mode for approximately 90 minutes while the police investigation took place. Because of the suspect’s proximity to the school, Cameron and administrators opted for the extra level of protection. After Lapeer County Sheriff’s Dept. deputies took the former student into custody at a local car dealership, they advised the school district to lift secure mode, said Cameron. “Our local police do a great job, and are extremely diligent, especially if they believe any youngster has been threatened, whether that youngster is from our community or another,” he said. Cameron said Imlay City Police Dept. School Liaison Officer Joe DeLuca will continue to work with Lapeer County Sheriff’s Dept. investigators and advise school administrators as needed. “We’ll examine this more after we get additional information from the police, and see if they have any feedback,” said Cameron. “The best-case scenario is that we inconvenienced our students today to be over-protective. Our worst-case scenario is that our systems functioned well and in light of the situation that presented itself.”

Cameron said incidents of this nature are a “negative ripple effect” regarding technology and communication, and especially social media as it relates to safety issues. “I’d think you’d hear the same from any school official across the country. This isn’t an Imlay City issue or even a Lapeer County issue,” he said. “Any time there is a situation or we break from our normal daily procedures, students communicate by phone or social media. Sometimes their information is correct, often times it is not.” Cameron said these situations are used as teaching moments about responsible use of communication during incidents to prevent dissemination of misinformation. “As great a tool as a smartphone can be, it is also possible to wreak a lot of havoc with one,” he said. “It is especially harmful when people speculate or repeat misinformation online and delays our work and our communication timelines. It compounds the work of both school officials and the police.”