The Saratoga Springs Police Department confirmed that they have been speaking with the city’s schools about TikTok videos purporting mass violence on schools nationwide tomorrow, Dec. 17. These are false claims, according to Assistant Chief Robert Jillson with the Saratoga Springs Police Department.
He said the videos claim that a mass school shooting event is planned for Dec. 17, but law enforcement nationally, and in this area, have not found any evidence that the threat is real.
The videos themselves tend to point to the idea that Dec. 17 is a big day for exams, so students are likely to be in schools. Other news sources have said that the TikTok videos started as a challenge to play hooky and turned into threats of violence. TikTok is a popular video-focused social media app.
Jillson said they began looking into claims when the School Resource Officer called Jillson. Jillson said the Detective and Patrol divisions of the police department are aware.
“Recently, the district learned of TikTok posts referencing school violence circulating nationally that are not credible. The district has not received a report that connects these threats in any way with our schools, but we have communicated with local law enforcement on this matter to be proactive,” the school’s post says.
Despite this, “we have to err on the side of caution,” Jillson said. The department has reached out to the state police and to the FBI.
"We reached out to them because they have a bigger reach. They have fusion centers that cover intel,” he said, using the abbreviation for strategic intelligence.
The SSPD has also been speaking with the county sheriff, he said. No one can find any credible threats.
The school system, in their post, says they are still asking everyone to remain vigilant.
“The district continues to embrace a 'See Something, Say Something' campaign to raise awareness about the importance of being vigilant in our school community. We all have a role in keeping our students and community safe,” the statement says. “Thank you to our school community members who have reached out regarding these social media posts.”
A statement from the police department says that conversations about school safety are on-going.
Jillson, the Investigations Lieutenant for the department, was recently named to replace retiring Assistant Chief John Catone.