Madera PD responds to call at MTHS

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune File Photo

Madera Police Officers responded to Matilda Torres High School after they received a report of a person with a gun on campus last week.

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A large Madera Police Department presence was seen at Matilda Torres High School Thursday afternoon.

Officers responded to the school after they received a report of a person with a gun on campus. The school was quickly placed on lockdown. The School Resource officer and school security began checking the campus immediately as all available officers arrived to assist. After the campus was thoroughly checked and it was found there was no threat to the students, the lockdown was lifted.

“While we will continue to respond to each call, we strongly urge you to talk with your children about the consequences of making a false report,” read a statement from the Madea Police Department. “The hysteria it causes to the students and school staff and the strain on first responder resources is tremendous. It is a crime to make a false police report and we will continue fully investigating all threats.”

MPD identified threat suspect

Madera Polide Department provided an update to a response to a threat at Nishimoto Elementary School last week.

“As many of you saw, we take all threats seriously until deemed otherwise,” read a Madera Police Department statement. “We have worked diligently to determine the source of the threat.”

The MPD identified the subject who placed the call as an 11-year-old student. “We confirmed this was unrelated to the large number of false active shooting threats to various schools last week,” the statement read. “We hope this sends a clear message to our community. If you misuse 911 or make false reports, we will find out who you are and you will be held accountable. As we all know these hoax calls disrupt school, waste our resources, and put the community in greater danger. We ask all parents to talk with your children about the seriousness of making false reports and monitor their social media.”