The Laurel Police Department issued the following statement regarding the bomb threat to Laurel High School yesterday.
NEWS RELEASE 5/9/24
Hoax Bomb Threat at Laurel High School
On 5/9/24, the Laurel Police Department responded with multiple neighboring agencies to the Laurel High School/Middle School (1131 S Central Ave, Laurel) for a bomb threat that was ultimately deemed a hoax/prank call. The information contained in this summary is accurate to the most recent investigative updates and is being released in the interest of public safety and transparency.
On 5/9/24 at approximately 1:44pm, a Laurel School District Administrator received a phone call on an office line from a caller making non-specific statements related to a “bomb” before disconnecting. Six minutes later, at 1:50pm, school staff contacted Laurel PD SRO Handy via cell phone to report the threat. An emergency call to 911 was never made. SRO Handy immediately notified the Sussex County Emergency Communication Center (SUSCOM) while officers began responding to the school, with the first-arriving units being on-scene within two minutes. While school officials handled precautionary evacuations per their protocol, Laurel PD began coordinating an investigation with the Delaware State Police, along with K9-Units from the Department of Corrections and the Delaware Capitol Police Department. A systematic sweep of the entire school was conducted, resulting in no findings to substantiate the threat at approximately 3:22pm. Students remain dismissed for the day and afternoon activities were canceled at the discretion of the Laurel School District.
The Laurel Police Department recognizes and places a significant amount of importance on releasing information to the public to keep our residents safe and informed while balancing the integrity of a criminal investigation. In cases like this, we strive to provide as much accurate information as possible in the most timely, practical manner. In this case, an initial post was made to the Laurel PD social media sites, with multiple updates being provided at regular intervals until the scene was cleared.
Additionally, a post was made to the Laurel School District Facebook Page by Superintendent Larrimore (per the post information) in the very early stages of the incident, while response efforts were still being coordinated. The post reported a “bomb threat”, provided detailed information on how the school was responding to the threat, and reported a timeframe for when the incident would be completed. The post was made without consulting authorities on-scene, and kept public despite being asked to remove the post and refer followers to official, confirmed releases by the Laurel Police Department. The post not only compromised the integrity of the criminal investigation but potentially exposed students and staff to additional risk of harm if the threat was confirmed. This also created unnecessary alarm for parents and other readers, who were not informed by the post if emergency services had been contacted. Parents responded by attempting to pick children up from Laurel and neighboring schools while also inundating police emergency/non-emergency phone lines with calls to report the information, hindering a safe response effort by emergency services. Lastly, especially in the early stages of this type of incident, responders have absolutely no reliable ability to provide an estimated time frame for when the investigation will be completed. The Laurel Police Department will always conduct a thorough investigation, that will take as long as necessary to ensure it is handled effectively and safely for everyone involved. While providing such information might sound beneficial, we prioritize confirmed safety over a strict timeframe.
The Laurel Police Department and Laurel School District have long enjoyed a strong, beneficial relationship that always puts student safety as a top priority. We recognize that a large part of student safety includes informed parents, who are comfortable with responses by officials if their children are ever in an emergency situation. This incident clearly demonstrated a need for additional planning between school staff and emergency responders on how public information is released during an emergency situation. Captain Bryan of the Laurel Police Department has contacted the Laurel School District to debrief this incident and reach an agreement about how any emergency information will be disseminated in the future.
Per the Laurel School District, school will resume as normal on Friday, May 10, 2024. For class scheduling or other school-specific questions, please contact the Laurel School District or the specific school you are inquiring about.
This is an active investigation. Anyone with information about this incident or other criminal activity is asked to contact the Laurel Police Department at 302-875-2244. Information can also be submitted anonymously to Delaware Crime Stoppers by calling 800-847-3333 or texting “KEYWORD” followed by your information to CRIMES (274637). Tips submitted to Crime Stoppers that lead to an arrest are potentially eligible for a cash reward.
Complaint 70-24-1641
Cpl. Kevin Lieber #9185, Public Information Officer
Laurel Police Department