Larger police presence in Manistique schools after vague threatening texts | News, sports, jobs

MANISTIQUE – Officials in Manistique determine that vague/threatening texts sent to a student there are not credible.

On Tuesday, October 8, Manistique Area Schools and the School Resource Officer (SRO) were notified of a suspicious text message received from a student. The text message vaguely referred to a possible threat to a school.

The investigation revealed that the SMS was sent using a spoofing application and the number came from outside the region.

Tim Russel, Manistique’s public safety director, explained that spoofing applications allow a person or program to create a fake number or email to make it appear that the message is from a trustworthy source.

“The public is reminded that any threat, no matter how credible, is treated with the utmost urgency by local law enforcement.” Russell said in a press release.

He added that the public can help by reporting any information to local law enforcement and refraining from sharing information on social media platforms.

“Sharing such information on social media negatively impacts the progress of police investigations and triggers feelings of fear and anxiety among students.” Russell said.

The investigation was a collaborative effort between Manistique Area Schools, the Schoolcraft County Sheriff Department’s School Resource Officer, the Department of Homeland Security, Manistique Public Safety and the Michigan State Police.

“To make both parents and students feel safe and supported, there will be an increased presence of Manistique public safety officers in our area schools over the next few days.” Russell said.