According to a tweet by Stoneman Douglas junior class president Jaclyn Corin, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is working with several students at the high school to create an app to report suspicious people and behavior, which would be monitored by law enforcement 24-7. The initiative comes in the wake of the February 14 shooting of seventeen people at Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
I am working with the Attorney General of FL and a few of my fellow classmates to formulate a “see something, say something” app. It will be monitored 24/7 by law enforcement.
— Jaclyn Corin (@JaclynCorin) February 23, 2018
“It might be a small step, but we are moving in the right direction,” Corin also tweeted. “Apps like this have been successful in other states, as utilizing social media to prevent gun violence/suicide/other threats is incredibly beneficial for this generation.”
This wouldn’t be the first app of its kind. New York State’s Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services has an app called “See Something,” which for reporting activity related to possible terrorism or crime. The app is a part of the state’s larger “If you see something, say something” campaign. Similarly, the state of West Virginia has a “Suspicious Activity Reporting” app for reporting suspicious activity.
This possible app supports the idea that reporting suspicious activity will prevent crime. The day after the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, President Donald Trump tweeted that people with knowledge of “bad and erratic behavior... Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”
So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2018
However, the day after Trump’s tweet, the FBI revealed that it received a tip in January about “Cruz’s gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting.” The FBI did not follow up on this tip.
There has been an uptick in school shooter threat reports since Cruz’s massacre last week, and it’s very possible that an app which makes it easier to report threats will save lives.