Police say 4 threats made against Davenport schools in 2 weeks

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) – The Davenport Police Chief and Davenport School Principal have spoken out about the increase in threats against schools on social media.

Davenport Police Chief Jeff Bladel said the threats are often vague, but people share them rather than report them to police.

There have been seven threats since the beginning of the school year, four of which were sent via the P3 app in the last two weeks.

He added that police take all threats seriously but urged everyone to take action and stop sharing screenshots.

“If you see anything, let us know, let’s report it immediately,” Bladel said.

He added that police do not have the ability to quickly investigate the threats.

“They’ll share it with 10 people, and then those 10 people will share it with another 10 people before we even get to watch it,” he said.

“We want to be able to respond quickly and take the time to determine if the information is credible and then take appropriate action, or if it is not credible, to share it with the community and the school district.”

District Director TJ Schneckloth said when a threat occurs, parents and families have to evaluate what they will do that day, and attendance has a drastic impact.

Davenport schools, police deal with ‘unbelievable’ school threats

“While we understand the concerns these posts may raise, I want to assure you that there is no credible threat of violence against any of our schools at this time,” Davenport Schools said in a news release. “We are grateful to the Davenport Police Department, as well as our school and district administrators, who worked through the night to investigate these threats.”

Davenport Police and School District said tips can be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities, by downloading the P3 Tips app, by visiting www.qccrimestoppers.com or by calling 911.