Maury County law enforcement aims to quell rumors, disinformation about investigations - Columbia Daily Herald
The Maury County Sheriff’s Department is seeking the community’s assistance in keeping false information from circulating through the community and its public school district.
MCSD Captain Marcus Albright addressed parents on the ongoing issues of local rumors and that false claims are investigated by the more than 30 local law enforcement agents dedicated to serving the county’s public school district.
Albright spoke to parents this week during a school community meeting hosted by Columbia Central High School.
The presentation followed an incident at Culleoka Unit School that left unsubstantiated rumors being shared on social media after a student made threats online against the small rural campus located in southeastern Maury County.
Instead of sharing those thoughts online, Albright calls on parents, students and members of the community to contact law enforcement and school leadership directly.
“We take very seriously threats to students and the public at-large,” Albright told a group of parents and educators at a meeting held inside a school cafeteria this week.
“We are in an age of information right now, and it is hard to wrap our heads around it,” Albright said. “We live in a time when people want information right now and if you are not willing to give it to them right now then you are hiding something. There is a process that we vet these things through. We work to see where the threat came from and the child responsible. We bring the child in immediately.”
When that student has been located, Albright said the child in question is searched thoroughly for any weapons.
Deputies attempt to gain access to the child’s home.
“We try to have the parents reassure us that this child in no way has access to a weapon or has a means to be able to do that,” Albright said.
Following the recent incident at Culleoka, Albright said the department is working toward improving the ways law enforcement and schools inform parents and guardians of situations being investigated by the department’s school resource officers.
“We have got to do a better job of letting the parents know of what to do with they see things on social media,” Albright said. “The response is not to go out and share it more. We need to build that relationship. Parents need to call their school resources officers and the sheriff’s department.”
Some members of the community shared concern that it took too long for parents and guardians at the Culleoka school to be informed of the school threat.
“We are not trying to hide information,” Albright said. “We will tell you what we can when we can. We are going to do a better job of getting that information out and offer more trusted avenues to share information.”
He said the department will work and reach out to both parents and children to ensure any potential threats are shared directly with law enforcement.
“We want to be more forthcoming with how we do things,” Albright said. “We want to be better, and we want to try to learn and grow. It is good to be transparent. We have the best folks working in these schools, and they will do everything they can to protect your kids.”
Reach Mike Christen at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MikeChristenCDH and on Instagram at @michaelmarco. Please consider supporting his work and that of other Daily Herald journalists by subscribing to the publication.
source: https://www.columbiadailyherald.com/story/news/education/2021/12/15/maury-county-law-enforcement-aims-quell-spread-rumors/8898406002/
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