Tulsa Schools, Tulsa Police Address Rising Threats: New Safety Measures Announced

Tulsa Public Schools and the Tulsa Police Department held a joint news conference on Thursday to discuss school safety.

Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson and Chief Dennis Larsen delivered the joint message after an increase in national and local news reports of school threats.

Nearly a month into the school year, a series of threats have been coming in all over Green Country, including several TPS schools. Police say they investigate every threat made against a school, including those made anonymously online. Tulsa Police Chief Dennis Larsen said the majority of them are fake and come from out of state or out of the country.

School administrators and police said it has gotten out of hand.

"[We're] making sure that they understand that an impulsive decision today has serious consequences for them tomorrow and the days after,” said Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson.

During Thursday's news conference with the district, Larsen addressed what happens when these threats are made. 

“If you're in the city of Tulsa, or if you're in Oklahoma and you threaten the safety of our schools, of our school children, kindergarten through 12th, expect a visit from the Tulsa Police Department, along with our federal partners, along with that police department from that public school jurisdiction or that private school,” said Larsen.

Tulsa Police said talking about safety is important, but publicizing all threats can make it worse.

“We don't do a lot of publicizing all the non-valid threats that aren't credible because we don't want copycats, because all of a sudden one threat becomes 10 threats, and those 10 threats become a hundred,” Chief Larsen said.

Dr. Johnson said all threats are handled seriously, and new safety measures will be coming soon to the district.

“All of those things including bag checks, wands, walking through detectors officially will be every single day for the rest of the school year right after fall break,” she said.

Clear bags for the schools were a topic of conversation at the news conference.

Dr. Johnson said she is leaving that decision up to the principals of the schools, but either way, there will be daily bag searches.