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EMOTIONS ARE RUNNING HIGH AFTER
LAST WEEK'S TRAGEDY IN
CONNECTICUT AND SINCE THEN, A
NUMBER OF SCHOOLS IN WESTERN
MASSACHUSETTS HAVE BEEN
THREATENED.... OR AT LEAST THERE
HAVE BEEN RUMORS OF THREATS.
22NEWS REPORTER LAURA HUTCHINSON
TELLS US HOW THEY'RE BEING
HANDLED.
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS SAY
THEY'RE RESPONDING TO THREATS AS
THEY NORMALLY WOULD, BUT THEY'RE
DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO BE
EXTRA THOROUGH TO PUT RESIDENTS
MINDS AT EASE.
IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR COPYCATS
TO EMERGE AFTER HIGH PROFILE
TRAGEDIES LIKE THE ONE IN
NEWTOWN CONNECTICUT LAST WEEK.
BUT RECENT THREATS TO SCHOOLS IN
WESTERN MASS AREN'T SITTING WELL
WITH PEOPLE.
IT'S JUST REALLY AWFUL, IT'S
HORRIBLE, ESPECIALLY THE TIME
OF YEAR, ANY TIME OF YEAR IS
HORRIBLE. ON WEDNESDAY, CLASSES
DISMISSED EARLY AT NORTHAMPTON
HIGH SCHOOL AFTER A THREATENING
NOTE WAS FOUND AND THERE WAS A
BOMB THREAT AT THE BIRCHLAND
PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL IN EAST
LONGMEADOW. POLICE SGT. PATRICK
MANLEY TOLD 22NEWS THEY DIDN'T
FIND A BOMB, BUT A 14-YEAR OLD
HAS BEEN ARRESTED, AND THE
THREAT WAS TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY.
I THINK ALL THE AGENCIES
INVOLVED WANTED TO MAKE SURE A
THAT WE DID IT RIGHT AND THAT
THE COMMUNITY WAS ASSURED IT WAS
DONE RIGHT.
BEFORE THE SHOOTING IN
CONNECTICUT, RUMORS AT WESTFIELD
HIGH SCHOOL STARTED SWIRLING
THAT SOMEONE WAS PLANNING TO
BRING A GUN TO SCHOOL TOMORROW,
FRIDAY, THE DAY THAT THE WORLD
IS SUPPOSED TO END, ACCORDING TO
THE MAYAN CALENDAR. SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL RAYMOND BRODERICK SAYS
AN IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION WITH
POLICE WAS CONDUCTED AND PARENTS
HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. HE DOESN'T
THINK THERE'S ANY TRUTH TO THE
RUMOR BUT IT IS BEING TAKEN
SERIOUSLY.
WE'LL PUT INTO PLACE SOME
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR
FRIDAY, NOTHING TOO EXORBITANT,
BUT WE DO WANT TO MAKE SURE WE
HAVE ALL OUR BASES COVERED.
BRODERICK SAYS PARENTS SHOULD
FEEL SAFE SENDING THEM TO SCHOOL