Should Threatening A School Be A Felony? Oregon Senator Says Yes

SALEM, OR — Oregon Senator Tim Knopp (R-Bend) on Monday introduced to a broad-sweeping public safety senate bill an amendment that would make it a felony to threaten a school with mass violence.

Senate Bill 1543 alters the logistics of several public safety matters, such as the duration for which law enforcement is required to keep sexual assault forensic evidence, the reduction of conviction severity for possession charges following the completion of probation, and the option for municipal courts to throw away prostitution convictions "if the conviction resulted from sex trafficking."

Knopp's amendment comes on the heels of the school shooting in Florida Feb. 14, which resulted in 17 deaths and 14 injuries.

"In the days after the horrific events at Parkland High School in Florida, Oregon experienced an upswell of violent, terroristic threats targeting schools and communities across the state," Knopp said in a statement. "Oregon's district attorneys are constrained by current law that fails to take into account the unique nature of threats against schools and other public gathering places. Creating a new statute to address these circumstances will go a long way in deterring future threats and punishing individuals (who) threaten the well-being of our kids, families, and communities."

According to Knopp, in current cases of threats against schools district attorneys may only consider misdemeanor charges of menacing, disorderly conduct, and/or harassment, which don't necessarily fit the threat's impact as well as some may feel appropriate.

"Similar to existing laws in other states, the law would criminalize making a terroristic threat, which is the threat to commit a crime that will result in great bodily harm, regardless of whether the person intended to carry out the threat," Knopp's statement explained. "This would help prosecutors charge individuals who don't fall under disorderly conduct, menacing, or harassment statues and creates a criminal penalty commensurate with the harm caused by such a threat."

Two incidents recently reported by the Woodburn and Corvallis police departments, respectively, both touch on Knopp's concerns:

• A 14-year-old female student at Linus Pauling Middle School in Corvallis was arrested Feb. 22 and charged with disorderly conduct and initiating a false report after she reportedly made threats of violence against another student via the Snapchat social media app.
• A 17-year-old boy was arrested the following day, Feb. 23, after he reportedly made social media threats against Gervais High School — which forced police and school officials to place the high school into temporary lockdown.

Calls to Sen. Knopp's office and the Woodburn Police Department were not immediately returned.

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