School Threat In Alameda Unfounded: Police

ALAMEDA, CA — The Alameda Police Department reports that there is no threat to Lincoln Middle School in Alameda. Instead, their investigation of a forwarded threat on social media referenced a school in another state. The threat was to Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington and not Lincoln Middle School in Alameda.

The forwarded message was making its way through the student body on Sunday, according to social media posts by local parents. Monday morning, parents contacted Principal Michael Hans to report the post. Police were called immediately. Several police cars were sent to the school before classes even started for the day and an intense investigation was launched.

In a joint Facebook post, Police Chief Paul Rolleri and AUSD Superintendent Sean McPhetridge sought to reassure the community. "We learned from our investigation that there was not a threat to Lincoln Middle School or any school in Alameda today," stated Rolleri. "Social media posts related to Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington were spread locally that caused many people in our community to feel uncomfortable and afraid. We take every threat to our community and our schools seriously, and through our investigation we learned that students who shared these posts did not make any threats or act in a criminal manner. At this point, APD considers the investigation closed, as there are no known threats related to the City of Alameda or its schools."

“We appreciate the families who brought these concerns forward to Principal Hans and the Alameda Police Department,” McPhetridge said. “And while APD and AUSD certainly encourage people to report to us when they hear or see something of concern, we want to remind people that rumors on social media can cause greater disruption to our educational settings. We urge Alamedans to work with the school district and police department directly before posting on social media or contacting the press.”

“Again, we thank those who reported directly to APD and AUSD so we could all work together to keep our community and its schools safe.”

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