PROVO, Utah, May 5, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — There was an increased police presence at some Utah County schools Friday morning following online threats of violence that law enforcement officials say are not credible and likely a hoax.
The Provo and Orem police departments both issued statements Thursday night about threats of a violence at an unspecified school Friday morning.
“The threat is believed to be a hoax and no credible information has been received,” the Provo Police Department stated on its Facebook page in an update early Friday. “Other states have received similar hoax threats. Provo’s school resource officers will be at their respective schools early and a higher police presence will be provided by our patrol officers.”
Orem police said the threats were being spread through several social media platforms, as well as email and cellphone data.
“We have been working with Alpine School District, [which] has notified parents at this school,” Orem PD stated on Facebook. “The same threat is also circulating throughout a neighboring city. Officers and detectives are actively investigating these reports.
“Our dispatch center is taking a high number of calls regarding this, so we ask that persons only call if they have information about the source of this hoax. Know that we want to make sure everyone is safe going to school [Friday] and extra officers will be on hand to help provide safety for our children.”
Alpine School District also issued a statement Friday morning confirming the social media hoax.
“Alpine School District administration has been working closely with the Orem Police Department regarding another social media threat hoax. We appreciate law enforcement assistance and presence at our schools,” a Facebook post from the school district states.
Police responded to similar threats at several Utah schools on March 29. Those threats also were determined to be hoaxes.
