Police presence at Dalton High today after threat

DALTON, Georgia (WDEF) – Students found an extra police presence at Dalton High on Thursday following a school threat found at the school late Wednesday.

The Dalton Police Department says they need tips about a note that was found Wednesday in a classroom. Public Relations Specialist Bruce Frazier says that safety is their top priority.

Frazier says, “You can’t learn if you’re worried about your safety in those kids deserve the opportunity to feel safe to feel protected and to go to their day and learn their lessons.”

Lessons that have been somewhat disrupted by the threat that has forced the police department to increase their presence on campus.

“The fact is that this threat disrupted law enforcement services in the city today, it’s disrupted the school today and those are things that are taken seriously,” says Frazier.

Authorities didn’t say what exactly the note said, but the police department and the school system are taking extra measures to protect students.

Frazier believes, “the main thing is to A. make people feel safe and B. to actually keep them safe so that something that we have at the high schools and the middle school campuses and they also work with the elementary schools here in town and as a full-time thing. We have increased their presence but we have a presence there all the time.”

They hope that students see just how serious this is being taken and come forward with answers.

Frazier urges that there “is a time to joke and there is a time to be funny but this basically is making light of the situation where 17 kids lost their lives in Florida. It’s not a joke and when you’re talking about disrupting this much of the city for your prank or whatever it was, we are taking it seriously and we’re not going to stop until we figure out who it is. We’re going to hold them responsible.”

#ICYMI: “This basically is making light of the situation where 17 kids lost their lives in #Florida. It’s not a joke and when you’re talking about disrupting this much of the city for your prank … we are taking it seriously,” says Frazier with DPD https://t.co/6gyZNGiQDu

— Amber Worthy (@AWorthyNews) February 23, 2018

They will not release the details of what was in the note.

“A lot of times teenagers… their senses of humor and things like that are still developing. They need to know that this isn’t cute. This isn’t funny, and this is something that can lead to criminal charges,” says Frazier.

“We will be working closely with the school to identify the individual that made the threat,” says DPD Assistant Chief Cliff Cason, “We will have an increased presence at DHS and other city schools tomorrow above and beyond what we normally have.”

Anyone with information about this threat is asked to please contact Detective Sam Eaton at 706-278-9085, extension 9158.