Local News

Pa. State Senator introduces bill to increase criminal penalties for hoax school threat calls

April 1, 2023 / 10:28 AM EDT / CBS Pittsburgh

Pa. State Senator introduces bill after school threat hoaxes

HARRISBURG (KDKA) - After four local high schools on Wednesday and others throughout the Commonwealth were targeted by hoax active shooter calls.

One local lawmaker is now proposing tougher criminal penalties for anyone who falsely reports an emergency at educational facilities.

Senator Michele Brooks of Mercer County said that the false reports triggered massive emergency responses, creating perilous conditions for students, teachers, and public safety agencies.

Oakland and Central Catholic in Pittsburgh were targeted, and so were Hopewell and Laurel Highlands.

School Threat
Harrisburg

Patrick Damp

Patrick Damp is a web producer for CBS Pittsburgh. A Pittsburgh native who grew up watching KDKA-TV, Patrick studied journalism at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After half a decade in sports communication, Patrick decided to pursue his dream of working in journalism in his hometown and joined the CBS Pittsburgh team in 2019.