HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Guam Police Department Chief of Police Stephen Ignacio confirmed there have been 14 terroristic conduct complaints at schools this year.
GPD said the number of the terroristic conduct complaints doubled from last year’s total. The department, in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, during a press conference Thursday afternoon at GPD headquarters, launched a responsible social media campaign called “#ThinkBeforeYouPost.”
During the press conference, Ignacio explained the campaign will be kicked off with a public service announcement video “to spread awareness to our youth and community of one of our top concerns, and that is threats and acts of violence in our schools.”
“It also provides perspective of the consequences for those who get threats of violence or that commit acts of violence in our schools,” said Ignacio, who encouraged parents to speak with their children about the consequences of making threats on social media.
Also in attendance at the press conference was Steven Merrill, special agent in charge of the FBI Honolulu Field Office, which oversees Guam, who discussed the consequences on the federal level.
“Those who post or send threats can receive up to five years in federal prison, or they can face local charges here in Guam. However, if bodily injury results, penalties may increase to 20 years. If death occurs, a life prison sentence is possible,” Merrill said.
“We do not want our young generation to start their adult lives in prison and forever be labeled a felon due to a thoughtless and careless post on social media,” Merrill added.
Before taking questions from the media, the public service announcement video was played and showed a disgruntled student posting a threat online and suffering the consequences. The video will be posted on The Guam Daily Post’s social media accounts and website.
Cases
In 2022, GPD had responded to six threats of terroristic conduct at schools on the island. However, as this year comes to a close, 14 have been reported, according to Ignacio.
Of the cases, more than half have been closed.
“Over 50% of the 14 cases have been closed and … all of them have been minors who were taken into custody,” Ignacio said.
Because the investigations involve minors, the identities of the suspects and outcomes of the investigations are not available to the public.
Incidents
The most recent threat prompting a police response was made about two weeks ago at Harvest Christian Academy, which led the school to be closed for an entire day.
According to Post files, the alleged post was made on an Instagram account called “HCA Confessions,” when an anonymous post was made that an individual was going to bring a gun to the school. The Post has not been able to view or confirm the message. However, Ignacio confirmed on Thursday the case remains under investigation.
Other incidents reported include several made on social media in October to George Washington High School and Tiyan High School.
GPD at the time announced that a 15-year-old female student and 17-year-old male student from George Washington High School and a 15-year-old male student from Tiyan High School were taken into custody.
Additionally, in late March and April, police responded to three separate threats made to St. Anthony Catholic School in Tamuning in the span of several weeks. One of the threats was made via social media, according to the FBI, which also was involved in the response, Post files state.
The incidents at St. Anthony led to lockdowns and shelter-in-place protocol being established and classes being canceled.
In February, a 14-year-old male student of Bishop Baumgartner Memorial Catholic School was taken into custody after allegedly making a threat on social media. The discovery of the post led to classes being canceled.
The gates at Harvest Christian Academy are closed after a report of terroristic conduct on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, in Barrigada.
