Enraged by a wave of false threats of school shootings, a Florida sheriff last week vowed to release the photo of any “child” who threatened to commit violence at schools — then quickly followed through.
On Monday, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood released a photo and video of an 11-year-old boy he said made written threats online to commit a mass shooting at a middle school.
Chitwood unveiled his plan Friday at a news conference in DeLand, a city about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Orlando near Florida’s Atlantic coast. He said that since parents don’t want to raise their children, “I’m going to start raising them.” Speaking alongside school officials, he promised he would begin releasing photos of those arrested Monday.
“Every time we make an arrest, your child’s picture will be released. And if I could do it, I would take your child out so everyone can see what he’s doing.”
On Monday, a video showing the 11-year-old being escorted by officers while handcuffed was posted to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, with the caption “as promised.”
A post on the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page also named the 11-year-old boy and identified him as a resident of Port Orange, Florida, and a student at Creekside Middle School. He was charged with making written threats to commit a mass shooting at Creekside or Silver Sands middle schools, a felony, according to the page, which also posted his mugshot.
The Facebook post also included images of weapons the boy “showed other students in a video,” according to the sheriff’s office, including “airsoft guns, pistols and fake ammunition,” as well as knives and swords.
Threats of mass violence have been increasing on social media, as authorities describe them, following the school shooting in Winder, Georgia, on September 4, that left four people dead. In Broward County, Florida, where 17 people were killed at a Parkland high school in 2018, authorities said last week they had arrested nine students since August in connection with threats of violence. In Central California, several teenagers have been arrested in connection with threats.
The state attorney’s office for the 7th Judicial Circuit, which covers Volusia County, did not immediately respond to calls and emails Tuesday about the charges against the 11-year-old. Florida law prohibits the public release of juvenile court records — but that law does not apply if the minor is charged with a crime.
Efforts Tuesday to reach the boy’s family were not immediately successful.
In a post on the sheriff’s Facebook page, Chitwood defended his practice and reiterated his promise. “PS,” he wrote in a postscript, “I can and will release the names and photos of the juveniles who commit these crimes, threaten our students, disrupt our schools and consume law enforcement resources.”
The boy’s video quickly spread on social media, where it raised concerns among juvenile justice advocates about the ethics of posting images of children, though it was hailed by some as a tough-love message to young people who might be tempted to make threats.
Marsha Levick, legal director and co-founder of the Juvenile Law Center, said she understands that Sheriff Chitwood is taking a tough stance in response to a series of false threats — and the real risk of violence against students.
“He’s trying to respond to a terrible situation,” she said. “We also have to be aware of this kind of stalking of children. They can make threats that are completely unserious, and I think the fact that they’re going to go after a child raises questions.”
She continued: “Is the goal to shame or to prevent?” she said of the sheriff’s practice of posting photos and videos, warning that they could be copied by authorities in other parts of the country. “He doesn’t need to parade this child, this 11-year-old child, in front of a camera to achieve his goal.”. “Just do traditional things — arrest, charge — that don’t add that layer of shame, embarrassment, humiliation and trauma.”
The sheriff said at last week’s news conference that his decision was aimed at stopping students from making baseless threats and misusing a counseling app, FortifyFL. He said authorities have received more than 200 threats since the start of the school year, requiring a round-the-clock investigative effort that has cost the county thousands of dollars.
The message was also directed at parents, whom Chitwood warned about the risk of failing to act if they know their child is making threats. Across the United States, parents of school shooters increasingly face consequences, including criminal prosecution.
“I’m going to show you all the children who were arrested and where they go to school,” he said at the news conference last week. “And from there, we’re going to publicly humiliate them and their parents,” he added.
Kirsten Noyes contributed research.
