Seaside PD Investigate Reported Threat to High School

Seaside, Ore. – December 7, 2021 – On Monday, December 6, 2021, at approximately 8:30 p.m., the Seaside Police Department received a report from a Seaside High School student regarding messages from an unknown person on Instagram. The messages were screenshots of a conversation and included a possible threat to Seaside High School. Seaside Police take all such reports seriously and after gathering information, contacted administration at Seaside High School. 

Upon further investigation, Seaside Police confirmed an account was created one hour prior to the messages being sent and the account was immediately deleted following the incident. School Resource Officer Justin Gagnon began investigating the situation and determined the source of the messages had no local affiliation to our community. SRO Gagnon, with assistance from the FBI, determined this is not a credible, localized threat. We would like to thank the student who brought this to our immediate attention, and we continue to encourage others to speak up when they see something out of the ordinary or of immediate concern.

If you see or hear something, please report it. Things to think about and report include the following:

• Changes in Behavior:
  • If you see or hear someone talking about weapons, the use of weapons, drawings or pictures of weapons and violence, social media posts; even if you notice changes in behavior with friends or other students, you should report it.
• Report Issues and Threats That Come Up in Conversation of Any Form:
  • Tell a parent/guardian, tell an adult at school, or contact the Seaside Police Department.
• Don’t Worry about Students Getting in Trouble:
  • The goal is to provide help, try to solve problems before they happen and keep school safe for students. Students are often the best sources of information.
  • Information shared will always be kept confidential to the greatest extent possible. If you report something that may be dangerous or a student that you’re worried about, the goal is to try to help that student and keep all students and staff safe.

The Seaside Police Department will have an increased presence around the Seaside School facilities over the next few days as a precautionary measure.  

**end of release**