Latest news with #SafeSchoolsandPlacesofWorshipAct
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Safe Schools and Places of Worship Act Passes CA Senate Public Safety Committee
( — A proposed change to state law could add more consequences for those who make threats against certain institutions. Under current law, it is a crime to make violent threats against a specific person at a school or house of worship. Senate Bill 19 has just passed the California Senate Public Safety Committee and would broaden the law to make it illegal to threaten violence toward the institution itself. 'California is falling short in tackling this issue and protecting schools and those institutions that worship from criminal threats,' said Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), the author of the Senate Bill. These threats often cause schools to go on lockdown and can lead to a large and expensive law enforcement response, causing major disruptions. The Safe Schools and Places of Worship Act aims to ensure that those who make these threats face the consequences. Several organizations support the Senate Bill, including the California District Attorneys' Association. 'Someone, for example, could threaten to shoot up this building, and without a specific person targeted or identified, I could not prosecute that,' California District Attorneys' Association Representative Rochelle Beardsley said in the hearing. Several schools in our area, including those in Elk Grove, Marysville, and Mountain House, were recently threatened. In a statement to Fox40, Marysville Acting Superintendent Jordan Reeves said in part, 'I wholeheartedly support legislation that will bolster school safety and enhance measures to keep our school communities safe.' San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow said the Mountain House bomb threat was a logistical nightmare for all involved. 'Even if there is no real threat of you showing up to kill somebody and you just think it's a joke, no no, no. There is a tremendous number of resources and trauma that happens because of this,' said the Sheriff tells Fox40. Sheriff Withrow classifies these threats as terrorism and believes any extra steps we can take to hold people more accountable is a step in the right direction. Marc Levine is a former California State Assemblymember, representative of the Anti-Defamation League and global leader in combatting antisemitism and extremist hate, spoke with Fox40 about this Legislation. 'If we look merely at bomb threats to synagogues and K-12 schools in the state of California, we saw about 96 of these threats,' Levine said. 'In 2023 and 2024 that number climbed to 204, a 113% increase year over year, so it's skyrocketed.' Levine adds that it's important that all Californians take any necessary action to stand against hate and hate-based threats. However, several organizations vehemently oppose the Senate Bill. Some cited concerns about the growing number of incarcerated individuals, including those struggling with mental health. 'It will target black and brown students the most,' a gentleman in attendance stated at the hearing. 'Schools are underfunded, mental health resources are stretched thin, and youth programs struggle for support instead of spending money locking up kids for things that can be resolved without police intervention. The California Department of Education told Fox40 they are still looking into this Senate Bill before they can provide comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As hoax 911 calls surge, California lawmakers push for 'swatting' crackdown
Earlier this month, the Claremont Police Department received a chilling 911 report: A caller said they were holding someone captive inside a Claremont McKenna College restroom, carrying a bomb and preparing to shoot anyone they saw on campus. The call triggered a massive deployment of law enforcement and SWAT team members and sent waves of panic coursing through campus as students scrambled to find cover. But the crisis was fake, the result of a "swatting" call, a hoax 911 report made in the hope of generating a large law enforcement response. The incident took place one day after a similar threat prompted a lockdown of Loma Linda University's Children's Hospital. Swatting is a growing problem across the state and country. But California law can make it challenging to hold people accountable for the chaos their threats cause. Although falsely reporting an emergency to 911 is a misdemeanor offense, lawmakers are seeking tougher penalties for threats that cause mass disruption and target vulnerable populations such as schoolchildren or hospital patients. Read more: False report of shooter at Claremont college is SoCal's second 'swatting' call in 48 hours Under current law, threats are only considered to be a crime when they are made against an individual — not an institution, such as a school or hospital. Now, state legislators are backing new legislation to close that loophole. 'Right now, California law falls short," state Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) said in a statement. "Unless a threat names a specific individual, officials have limited options, even when the danger is clear." Rubio is the author of Senate Bill 19, known as the Safe Schools and Places of Worship Act, which would allow prosecutors to charge individuals who make credible threats of mass violence against schools and places of worship, even if they don't name a specific person. The goal is to hold people accountable for making intentional threats, recognizing that even hoax threats can cause mass panic, school closures and expensive law enforcement responses. Assemblymember Darshana R. Patel (D-San Diego) has proposed similar legislation, Assembly Bill 237, which would close the same loophole and also apply to threats made against day-care centers, hospitals and workplaces. "AB 237 will make it clear that threats against schools and religious institutions and hospitals and other locations will not be taken lightly and there are consequences," Chula Vista Police Chief Roxana Kennedy said at a recent news conference to promote the legislation. "This bill empowers law enforcement to hold individuals accountable for wasting valuable resources and instilling fear in schools and in our community." A major motivator for both proposed bills was an incident involving Shoal Creek Elementary School in San Diego. A 38-year-old man sent hundreds of emails threatening a mass shooting at the school, but a judge dismissed the case against him because the threats didn't target a specific person, even though a gun and a map of the school were found at his home. Prosecutors have since refiled the case, naming the school principal as the target of the threats. "The claim that you cannot threaten an entity is beyond false," said Shoal Creek parent Jenny Basinger while testifying on behalf of AB 237. "We are the entity. We are Shoal Creek Elementary. The students, the staff, and the community are the ones left picking up the pieces of the threat." Rubio said she focused her bill on schools and places of worship because these are the most frequently threatened institutions; the senator said she also supported Patel's more expansive bill. Should both bills pass, legislators would work together to combine them into a single law, she said. The FBI reported in January 2024 that agents opened investigations into more than 100 separate threats targeting more than 1,000 institutions in 42 states during a one-month period. Synagogues and Jewish community centers constituted the largest category of targeted institutions, with more than 400 saying they'd been threatened during that period. The second most frequent target was schools and school districts, followed by hospitals and hospital networks. Read more: L.A. County 18-year-old pleads guilty to making 375 'swatting' calls throughout the U.S. "These incidents cause fear and potentially dangerous interactions with law enforcement," the Department of Homeland Security said in a 2024 bulletin. "Swatting calls and hoax threats are a daily occurrence, often come in clusters across the U.S., and are typically made to harass, intimidate, and/or retaliate against their intended target." Last month, a Lancaster teen was sentenced to four years in prison after making more than 375 hoax calls that included threats to detonate bombs, conduct mass shootings and "kill everyone he saw," according to the U.S. Department of Justice. However, many of the cases were difficult to prosecute under current state law. Bevin Handel, a spokesperson for the city of Claremont, said it is the city Police Department's goal to file charges against the perpetrator of the Claremont McKenna College call, but there are several challenges. "The biggest hurdle in holding perpetrators of swatting calls accountable is determining their identities," she said. "Advances in technology allow callers to mask their voices, phone numbers or IP addresses ('spoofing') or make their false 911 calls sound more credible." In addition, she said, current state law makes it challenging to file charges against swatters that "truly reflect the magnitude of the response and the fear and trauma they can cause." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
As hoax 911 calls surge, California lawmakers push for ‘swatting' crackdown
Earlier this month, the Claremont Police Department received a chilling 911 report: A caller said they were holding someone captive inside a Claremont McKenna College restroom, carrying a bomb and preparing to shoot anyone they saw on campus. The call triggered a massive deployment of law enforcement and SWAT team members and sent waves of panic coursing through campus as students scrambled to find cover. But the crisis was fake, the result of a 'swatting' call, a hoax 911 report made in the hope of generating a large law enforcement response. The incident took place one day after a similar threat prompted a lockdown of Loma Linda University's Children's Hospital. Swatting is a growing problem across the state and country. But California law can make it challenging to hold people accountable for the chaos their threats cause. Although falsely reporting an emergency to 911 is a misdemeanor offense, lawmakers are seeking tougher penalties for threats that cause mass disruption and target vulnerable populations such as schoolchildren or hospital patients. Under current law, threats are only considered to be a crime when they are made against an individual — not an institution, such as a school or hospital. Now, state legislators are backing new legislation to close that loophole. 'Right now, California law falls short,' state Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) said in a statement. 'Unless a threat names a specific individual, officials have limited options, even when the danger is clear.' Rubio is the author of Senate Bill 19, known as the Safe Schools and Places of Worship Act, which would allow prosecutors to charge individuals who make credible threats of mass violence against schools and places of worship, even if they don't name a specific person. The goal is to hold people accountable for making intentional threats, recognizing that even hoax threats can cause mass panic, school closures and expensive law enforcement responses. Assemblymember Darshana R. Patel (D-San Diego) has proposed similar legislation, Assembly Bill 237, which would close the same loophole and also apply to threats made against day-care centers, hospitals and workplaces. 'AB 237 will make it clear that threats against schools and religious institutions and hospitals and other locations will not be taken lightly and there are consequences,' Chula Vista Police Chief Roxana Kennedy said at a recent news conference to promote the legislation. 'This bill empowers law enforcement to hold individuals accountable for wasting valuable resources and instilling fear in schools and in our community.' A major motivator for both proposed bills was an incident involving Shoal Creek Elementary School in San Diego. A 38-year-old man sent hundreds of emails threatening a mass shooting at the school, but a judge dismissed the case against him because the threats didn't target a specific person, even though a gun and a map of the school were found at his home. Prosecutors have since refiled the case, naming the school principal as the target of the threats. 'The claim that you cannot threaten an entity is beyond false,' said Shoal Creek parent Jenny Basinger while testifying on behalf of AB 237. 'We are the entity. We are Shoal Creek Elementary. The students, the staff, and the community are the ones left picking up the pieces of the threat.' Rubio said she focused her bill on schools and places of worship because these are the most frequently threatened institutions; the senator said she also supported Patel's more expansive bill. Should both bills pass, legislators would work together to combine them into a single law, she said. The FBI reported in January 2024 that agents opened investigations into more than 100 separate threats targeting more than 1,000 institutions in 42 states during a one-month period. Synagogues and Jewish community centers constituted the largest category of targeted institutions, with more than 400 saying they'd been threatened during that period. The second most frequent target was schools and school districts, followed by hospitals and hospital networks. 'These incidents cause fear and potentially dangerous interactions with law enforcement,' the Department of Homeland Security said in a 2024 bulletin. 'Swatting calls and hoax threats are a daily occurrence, often come in clusters across the U.S., and are typically made to harass, intimidate, and/or retaliate against their intended target.' Last month, a Lancaster teen was sentenced to four years in prison after making more than 375 hoax calls that included threats to detonate bombs, conduct mass shootings and 'kill everyone he saw,' according to the U.S. Department of Justice. However, many of the cases were difficult to prosecute under current state law. Bevin Handel, a spokesperson for the city of Claremont, said it is the city Police Department's goal to file charges against the perpetrator of the Claremont McKenna College call, but there are several challenges. 'The biggest hurdle in holding perpetrators of swatting calls accountable is determining their identities,' she said. 'Advances in technology allow callers to mask their voices, phone numbers or IP addresses ('spoofing') or make their false 911 calls sound more credible.' In addition, she said, current state law makes it challenging to file charges against swatters that 'truly reflect the magnitude of the response and the fear and trauma they can cause.'
