Baltimore County Police: Towson High School Threat Came From Outside U.S.

TOWSON - Baltimore County Police have announced that Towson High School will see increased police presence for a third day after a shooting threat was sent to students and staff on Thursday.

Police said on Monday that the threat issued to the school came from outside the United States. In an email, Towson High School principal, Charlene DiMino, thanked parents for their patience.

"We understand how unsettling such messages can be and want to assure you that we are taking all precautions to ensure student and staff safety," DiMino said.

The threat was sent on Thursday night and claimed that a school shooting was going to occur, which prompted BOCO PD to station additional officers at the high school. Police and Towson High School did not provide the exact details of the threatening email but said the threat's credibility was low.

Threats made from outside of the country are a reasonably common occurrence. An NPR investigation revealed 113 hoax calls targeting schools across 19 states between September and October 2022.

The same NPR investigation alluded to the possibility that calls and emails from out-of-country actually come from much closer to home. Bad actors can place false reports of shootings and other crimes from Virtual Proxy Networks (VPNs), allowing users to pick a country from which to base their internet connection.

According to Baltimore County Police, the investigation is ongoing, and they are taking all necessary measures to ensure student safety.