It is a problem that has afflicted numerous schools around the country: threats of violence sent from anonymous email accounts, messenger apps, and transient phone numbers. In the wake of multiple serious school attacks, administrators cannot afford to take such threats lightly, notwithstanding the fact that the majority of the threats are little more than…
In August, International Data Corporation (IDC) predicted that 1.44 billion smartphones would be shipped in 2015, a 10.4% increase over the preceding year. It is a safe bet that a hefty percentage of those smartphones will be tucked under a Christmas tree a week from now. Thousands upon thousands of teens (and even younger children)…
Parents love to complain about how much more challenging it is for them to parent than it was for THEIR parents, or frankly, any preceding generation in human history. But you have to feel some sympathy for the parents of millennials (let alone those dealing with the Generation Zers). As Steve Jobs said in 2007…
A 13-year-old girl in Dallas, TX is facing a third-degree felony charge for posting a shooting threat on Instagram. Officials at the T.W. Browne School in southwest Dallas were told last Monday night that someone had posted a photo to Instagram of man pointing a gun straight at a camera, with the following grim caption:…
A confluence of some of the most disturbing trends in American society led to the lockdown Wednesday of Highland High School in Pocatello, Idaho. In the wee hours of the morning on October 7, an unnamed 15-year-old male had a Facebook Messenger exchange with another person, age and gender unknown. A screenshot of a portion…
Joke or threat? That’s the question raised by an Arizona high school student’s ill-advised, reckless, fooolish Snapchat post showing a crowded hallway in the Sierra Linda High School in Phoenix. The male student captioned his photo “Planning the school shooting,” followed by three smiley faces. A 16-year-old student in Northglenn High School in Colorado named…
June is typically the month for momentous decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court, and this year’s round of society-shifting decisions is off to a rapid start. In Elonis v. United States, announced on the morning of June 1, the Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a man who allegedly threatened his ex-wife (and others) in…
2014-08-15 The Interpretation of Digital Data in Threat Cases from Frederick Lane A joint presentation delivered by Dr. Glenn Lipson and myself at the 2014 Annual Conference of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals in Anaheim, California on August 15, 2014. If you are interested in discussing a presentation or professional development program for your…
2014-08-07 iParentSmart from Frederick Lane A presentation I delivered as a webinar for the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification on August 7, 2014. If you are interested in discussing a presentation or professional development program for your organization on this topic, please contact me for information regarding my rates and…
