Prosecutor ‘Hero Award’ aims to curb school threats
Other measures being considered to try to stem increase of incidents
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido will offer a “Hero Award” to a school when a student or staff member reports a threat to the school.
Lucido announced the award Tuesday due to a continuing increase in threats against schools this year and in the aftermath of the Oxford High School shooting nearby and Uvalde, Texas, school shooting last May.
“The ‘Hero Award’ acknowledges the hero in that school who was proactive, to prevent a potential tragedy,” says a news release by Lucido. “These awards will be unnamed as to the individual(s) (anonymous) and given to the school to honor the hero who heard something, saw something, knew something, and said something.
“People in that school will know there is a hero walking among them,” he added in an interview Wednesday.
Lucido said he created the award as part of efforts to try to thwart the rising wave of school threats in the county this year.
“This is happening too much,” he said. “It’s out of control. This is something that’s becoming an epidemic.”
More than 50 people this year have been charged with a threatrelated offense following about 25 last year, he said. At least threequarters of the defendants have been charged with a 20-year
threat-of-terrorism offense, although most are charged as juveniles and can remain under juvenile custody for two years beyond age 18.
Fewer threat defendants are being charged as adults since the age in the criminal system was raised in October 2021 from 17 to 18.
In addition to the 20—year charge, those who make a threat can be charged with calling in a bomb threat, a 4-year felony; malicious use of a electronic device, a 6-month misdemeanor; and/or threatening violence against a school employee, or student, a one-year misdemeanor.
“Students need to be aware that these charges could result in jail time/juvenile detention, affect future employment or schooling, and result in future limitations in life,” Lucido says in the release.
His office is seeking restitution from parents of juveniles for the cost of a threat incident to the school district and police department that investigates it.
“These threats to Macomb County schools are causing county and local government substantial financial losses,” he said.
He said his office and local law enforcement agencies continue to offer programs available to go into Macomb County schools to educate the students and staff about the consequences of school threats, violence and bullying.
The Macomb County Board of Commissioners may pass a resolution or make other efforts to generate more awareness among students about the negative consequences of making a threat.
“Macomb County needs to establish safety in schools,” Commissioner Michelle Nard of Warren said in the release. She added at a board committee meeting Monday: “I hope we as a board can come together with bringing awareness to this and letting kids know that is not the way to play, we don’t play like that. I don’t care whose kid it is because if one of my grandkids makes a threat like that they already know I’m not going to be standing, sitting in court with them. I’m going to be watching it on TV with the rest of them saying, ‘Lock them up,’ because that’s nothing to play with.”
Nard revealed her granddaughter called her Monday morning frightened and hiding in a bathroom at Fitzgerald High School in Warren due to rumors a student was coming to the school with a loaded gun. The threat turned out to be false but had an impact on her ninthgrader and a grandson who also attends Fitzgerald. She and other parents of Fitzgerald picked up students from the school though there was no closure or lockdown.
She said her granddaughter already expressed some fear about going to school following the Uvalde shooting and Monday’s incident elevated those concerns.
Commissioner Mai Xiong of Warren hopes state lawmakers taking office in 2023 will pass gun-control laws.
“We have a new Legislature, a new term,” she said Monday in reference to last week’s election and new terms starting Jan. 1. “I’m looking forward to them introducing some commonsense gun-safety laws and supporting that.”
The county Board of Commissioners for 2023 plans to fund a school security expert in county Emergency Management that has been funded with a grant in recent years but will expire at the end of the year, according to county board Chairman Don Brown of Washington Township.
Students and staff can call 855-OK2SAY to anonymously report a threat.