Police: Tip from 'Say Something' app led to probe of potential school threat at Guilford HS

Police say say they received a tip on Thursday night from the anonymous reporting system app "Say Something" that a Guilford High School student had a "kill list."

Tom Krosnowski, Emily Knapton and Rose Shannon

Jan 17, 2024, 6:02 PM

Updated 331 days ago

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Guilford police say an anonymous tip led them to investigate a potential school threat last week.
They say they received a tip on Thursday night from the anonymous reporting system app "Say Something" that a Guilford High School student had a "kill list."
The app was created by Sandy Hook Promise.
"Keeping kids safe isn't just about security systems. It is about empowering them with the knowledge of how to recognize when something is wrong, and then do something with it," says Nicole Hockley, co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise.
Police responded to the student's home and determined there was no active threat.
They learned the list was made in 2022 and that the student was unable to carry out an act of school violence.
The next day, police received another tip, which launched a further investigation.
Police did not say if there are any charges pending. They are confident there is no threat to public safety
Tips received go to Sandy Hook Promise's team at the National Crisis Center in Miami, which is staffed 24/7 with trained professionals.
"Our crisis center gets into a dialogue with this tipster with an anonymous, two-way texting system through the app. They can get more information about, where is this person now, are they safe, do they have access, when did you last see them, how do we contact them if need be?," says Hockley.
The center can also reach out to local police departments.
Authorities say the app has received more than 200,000 reports and saved hundreds of lives.
The nonprofit's ultimate goal is for the app to not be needed at all.
"To get to the point where we don't need things like anonymous reporting systems, because they're already looking out for each other and feeling safe wherever they are - however, we still have a ways to go," says Hockley.