Riverside police investigating multiple threats of school violence in recent weeks

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- Threats of violence at local schools is becoming an all-too-common occurrence in recent weeks, not just in Southern California, but all across the nation.

In the city of Riverside, police officers have investigated more than a dozen threats, and arrested four juveniles in just the past three weeks.

"We hate doing this," said Ofc. Ryan Railsback with the Riverside PD. "We hate taking kids away from their parents and taking them to juvenile hall, but this has got to stop."

The most recent incident happened on Monday night when students at Central Middle School told their parents about a troubling post made by a 13-year-old boy at the school. The Instagram post showed the boy holding what appeared to be a handgun, and a list containing names of students at the school who were potential targets.

Police officers investigated the threat, and determined the weapon in the picture was actually a toy gun and the threat was unfounded.

But the child was nevertheless arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats.

"It's causing a significant disruption to what's supposed to be a safe learning environment," said Railsback. "Kids aren't thinking about what they're doing in class. They're thinking about a threat."

Railsback was clear to point out that none of the threats made this school year appear to have been real.

Still, he said officers have no choice but to respond to each threat as if it were legitimate.

"We have no wiggle room. We have to investigate everything as if it's legitimate. There have been too many school shootings across the country; the last one being recently in Georgia.

"Most of the kids say they were just joking. Well, it's not a joke to us."

Railsback was not able to discuss specifics about the motives behind the threats.

He said it's possible some of the teenagers who were arrested may have made the threats in response to situations where they had been bullied. Some of the cases may have simply been examples of "copycats."

The one common thread to all of the threats: social media.

"For parents, we need them to look at maybe taking their [kid's] phones away," said Railsback. "Do your kids need phones? Do they need social media?"

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said parents should strongly consider whether to allow their children to use social media.

"I firmly believe, and there's a lot of science that backs up my beliefs, that social media is not appropriate for children at all," said Hestrin. "There are so many dangers to children with social media, and their brains are not developed enough to handle the pressures and all the different things that come with social media.

"You have to know who your child is talking to, and this is not just about threats and copycat crimes, but it's also predators using social media to prey upon our children.

"I can't tell you how many parents I speak to who, once their child is preyed upon, they say, 'I wish I knew this.'"

Hestrin could not comment on any pending cases regarding any of the juveniles arrested in Riverside, but speaking in general terms, he said punishment for juveniles who make criminal threats could range from counseling, all the way up to two years in a secure detention facility.

"As a society, we're not going to be throwing 13-year-old children in adult prison; that's not going to happen. But there can be consequences that can bring about change and rehabilitation for the juvenile."