Cybersecurity expert speaks on threats to schools

BOWLING GREEN, Ky . – News 40 spoke to a former police officer who is now an instructor in the Computer Information Technologies Department at SKYCTC. He told us if you make a threat towards a school, you are automatically charged with terroristic threatening in the second degree, which is punishable with 1 to 5 years in prison.

However, if you use weapons of mass destruction in that threat, such as a nuclear weapon, that charge is upped to terroristic threatening in the first degree, which could result in 5 to 10 years in prison.

He also wants to make sure students are aware of what their words mean when they are sent out via text or social media post.

“When you send something out via text message or the internet, it is gone. It is outside of your control, and simple jokes or words will be taken seriously… and we obviously have to do that in order to safeguard our children,” Art McFadden says.

He also says there are specific officers that deal with these kinds of threats called cyber cops that use search warrants & subpoenas and undergo specific training to make sure they know how to keep everyone safe.