Dickinson High School students and staff were evacuated from the school premises Monday after local law enforcement received a call about a possible bomb threat.
Capt. Stewart Stenberg of the Dickinson Police Department reported at 12:16 p.m., Law Enforcement Center dispatch personnel received a land-line call from an individual reporting he had overheard two individuals discussing there was a bomb at DHS.
"There was a name attached to the caller, but we're in the process of confirming identities," Stenberg said.
School administration was then notified about the threat. Law enforcement took the necessary steps in sending the Southwest Tactical Team and police department officers and sheriff deputies to the scene. Nine tactical team members, six shift police department officers and two Stark County deputies responded.
It was confirmed students would be evacuated to the Dickinson Recreation Center, Stenberg said.
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According to tactical team commander and Dickinson Police Lt. Bill Leach, the protocol for responding to an incident at a school is assigning procedure, establishing a field command post and a staging area, as well as securing the premises. Law enforcement then requests appropriate assistance and notifies chains of command. An emergency response team is also on hand in case the situation becomes critical, Leach said.
"In this case, what they did was provided security for staff and police officers," Leach said of the tactical team.
The team also provided traffic control and security for the evacuation, Leach said.
The tactical team and law enforcement also did an area and armed search after the building was evacuated in case a sniper was present, Leach said. A search for suspicious objects also was conducted.
"The search went very well and as planned," Stenberg said.
Tactical team members and other law enforcement were back at the Law Enforcement Center by 3 p.m., Leach said.
"We did not find any suspicious articles or devices during this whole operation," he said. "The school made the decision to re-enter and complete classes on schedule."
Police investigators are actively pursuing the investigation, Leach said.
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"We are conducting an incident and criminal investigation into the phone call to determine how valid the call was and see if there are any criminal violations," Leach added.
