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I need a new CT, thinking.... [insert Jeopardy theme song here]
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Tumbleweed
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tumbleweed
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Post by Tumbleweed on May 31, 2015 8:28:23 GMT -8
I'm pretty certain that school officials are on a heightened alert due to past instances and instead of "Freaking Out" as you say, they did the responsible thing and called the police. It's obvious their intent was to simulate a ticking bomb and scare the crap out of people. It doesn't matter what that there was a safe outcome, what matters is that they committed an act that was meant to terrorize people and need to be made an example of. I agree, they need to be made an example of, but not felony charges that will remain on their record. I can't say if they intended it to sound like a bomb or just something to annoy the school staff. I remember how dumb and stupid I was in high school and cringe at the things I did. I never did anything to harm or scare anyone but I did things that were extremely dangerous with friends as well as to myself and in all honesty, I'm lucky to be alive and so are some of my high school friends. Gosh we were stupid!
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daniel
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danielsmith
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Post by daniel on May 31, 2015 8:54:10 GMT -8
... they don't live in a Wile E. Coyote cartoon and their first instinct isn't to slap the nearest alarm clock onto a bundle of ACME-branded dynamite. So very true. A real threat isn't likely to look like this at all. If it was disruptive or then maybe throw a couple days of detention. Treating it as criminal, much less felonious, is a gross overreaction. This type of overreaction is the norm for schools these days. Instead of using something as a teachable moment, schools treat students as disposable. The tragedy is that parents continue to allow this. They get all outraged when it's their kid, but mostly sit quietly year after year as these policies roll out.
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T.C.
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Post by T.C. on May 31, 2015 8:57:44 GMT -8
I'm pretty certain that school officials are on a heightened alert due to past instances and instead of "Freaking Out" as you say, they did the responsible thing and called the police. It's obvious their intent was to simulate a ticking bomb and scare the crap out of people. It doesn't matter what that there was a safe outcome, what matters is that they committed an act that was meant to terrorize people and need to be made an example of. I agree, they need to be made an example of, but not felony charges that will remain on their record. I can't say if they intended it to sound like a bomb or just something to annoy the school staff. I remember how dumb and stupid I was in high school and cringe at the things I did. I never did anything to harm or scare anyone but I did things that were extremely dangerous with friends as well as to myself and in all honesty, I'm lucky to be alive and so are some of my high school friends. Gosh we were stupid! Guilty of a lot of stupid conduct myself ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) One of the girls fathers said this..."The father told WBTV the prank was putting alarm clocks in lockers, setting them to go off at different times, causing panic." They can have this expunged from their records if they happen to be convicted so it doesn't necessarily have to follow them forever ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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daniel
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Post by daniel on May 31, 2015 9:30:08 GMT -8
They can have this expunged from their records if they happen to be convicted so it doesn't necessarily have to follow them forever ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) Maybe, hopefully. The chances go up if they are from backgrounds that can afford to better navigate the legal system. Having the mere possibility that it can be expunged later does not mean that it should be treated as a felony now. This type of thing can show up on background checks even when expunged and can haunt them for a long time. It's a gross overreaction. This type of approach to very minor crime only serves to create more crime in the future as otherwise good people are thrown to the dogs.
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Mar 6, 2016 15:03:59 GMT -8
T.C.
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Post by T.C. on May 31, 2015 10:20:14 GMT -8
They can have this expunged from their records if they happen to be convicted so it doesn't necessarily have to follow them forever ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) Maybe, hopefully. The chances go up if they are from backgrounds that can afford to better navigate the legal system. Having the mere possibility that it can be expunged later does not mean that it should be treated as a felony now. This type of thing can show up on background checks even when expunged and can haunt them for a long time. It's a gross overreaction. This type of approach to very minor crime only serves to create more crime in the future as otherwise good people are thrown to the dogs. There's no "overreaction" whatsoever. The school officials did what every parent would want them to do once they find something suspicious, such as ticking or alarms coming from unused lockers. Your earlier post seemed to place blame on the schools for doing their job by protecting our kids, not treating them as "disposable" as you suggested. The police and the D.A. are responsible for the charges being filed not the school. For every action there are consequences and the kids placed themselves in the situation they are in and will either learn from the experience or not. I don't see any difference in the fake bomb hoax and a fake drive by shooting, i would imagine that most parents would want severe punishment for kids driving by their house as their children are playing outside firing blanks aimed at the children. No difference in either case, both are done with the intent of scaring or causing panic.
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Jan 26, 2013 13:30:48 GMT -8
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Clouds float into my life no longer to carry rain or usher storm but to add color to my sunset sky.
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Post by ♥ ℒʊ√ ♥ on May 31, 2015 10:43:56 GMT -8
I still hope/believe the charges will be reduced.
But the school did act appropriately.
If they hadn't taken this seriously and there actually was a bomb and injuries/fatalities occurred, they would be held accountable. And both the media and the public would demand an investigation, at the very least, and charges if so warranted.
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Star's Legacy
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starshinelegacy
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Post by Star's Legacy on May 31, 2015 11:07:27 GMT -8
I'm pretty certain that school officials are on a heightened alert due to past instances and instead of "Freaking Out" as you say, they did the responsible thing and called the police. It's obvious their intent was to simulate a ticking bomb and scare the crap out of people. It doesn't matter what that there was a safe outcome, what matters is that they committed an act that was meant to terrorize people and need to be made an example of. It is clearly not obvious that their intent was to scare any one of any threat of harm. Clearly they did not even fathom that their intent would be misconstrued as much as it has been. An alarm clock is an alarm clock it is not like they threw in a mass of wires and nobs and whatnot. Who freaks out over an alarm clock any ways? I mean sure they are annoying and loud, but harmless nonetheless. At least once a month at a local Walmart by me teenagers, kids, whoever grabs alarms and noise makers and randomly sets them off around the building. No intention of harm or to scare, simply to annoy and "prank" people. Heck my senior year in highschool a group of kids set off around of alarms and odd sounds from all the bathrooms at once. The only thing they were at fault with was disrupting the other students and staff.
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daniel
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Post by daniel on May 31, 2015 11:51:41 GMT -8
There's no "overreaction" whatsoever. The school officials did what every parent would want them to do once they find something suspicious, such as ticking or alarms coming from unused lockers. A reasonable parent would want it investigated. A reasonable parent would also want the kids punished to an extent that matches the incident and intent. There's a stark difference between a teenage prank and a legitimate violent threat. I don't blame the school for investigating. That's an appropriate thing. Throwing them to the criminal system for it could be excessive. True. Often they are pressured by a school official, though. But, I agree that the DA is ultimately the one that decides. Too often they throw the book at someone for minor offenses. Maybe we should think up some harsher punishment for when someone sneaks up behind you and yells, "boo." The world is not perfectly safe. Nor is it free from offense. Not every offense or "fear" should be treated criminally. To do so leads to authoritarianism and a draconian oversight. This process erodes freedom. Rather than provide safety it leaves us with a world where doing almost anything can be prosecuted. Unless, of course, you like an entire existence that feels like the walk through an airport security check. The solution to that is for justice to meet the nature of the offense. It wasn't necessary to ruin kids lives for senior pranks a generation ago. It isn't now. Well, unless a person lives themselves in a perpetual state of fear and wants everyone to suffer with them. I'd rather live in a free and happy society where sometimes bad stuff happens rather than a police state where you can't risk anything at all.
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Mar 6, 2016 15:03:59 GMT -8
T.C.
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tacochuck
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Post by T.C. on May 31, 2015 11:52:03 GMT -8
I'm pretty certain that school officials are on a heightened alert due to past instances and instead of "Freaking Out" as you say, they did the responsible thing and called the police. It's obvious their intent was to simulate a ticking bomb and scare the crap out of people. It doesn't matter what that there was a safe outcome, what matters is that they committed an act that was meant to terrorize people and need to be made an example of. It is clearly not obvious that their intent was to scare any one of any threat of harm. Clearly they did not even fathom that their intent would be misconstrued as much as it has been. An alarm clock is an alarm clock it is not like they threw in a mass of wires and nobs and whatnot. Who freaks out over an alarm clock any ways? I mean sure they are annoying and loud, but harmless nonetheless. At least once a month at a local Walmart by me teenagers, kids, whoever grabs alarms and noise makers and randomly sets them off around the building. No intention of harm or to scare, simply to annoy and "prank" people. Heck my senior year in highschool a group of kids set off around of alarms and odd sounds from all the bathrooms at once. The only thing they were at fault with was disrupting the other students and staff.
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Jan 26, 2013 13:30:48 GMT -8
♥ ℒʊ√ ♥
Clouds float into my life no longer to carry rain or usher storm but to add color to my sunset sky.
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January 2013
luv
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Post by ♥ ℒʊ√ ♥ on May 31, 2015 11:54:00 GMT -8
The fact that these alarms were placed in lockers not utilized by students is probably another reason for heightened reaction.
It implies that whoever placed them did so in a fashion that no one could be directly implicated in the prank if their locker had an alarm clock.
So the prank was well thought out. If it was truly meant to be harmless why not place them in the utilized lockers?
If you hear something ticking behind a closed door, it's prudent to react accordingly in a building that is occupied.
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17836
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May 21, 2024 15:53:29 GMT -8
daniel
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December 2003
danielsmith
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Post by daniel on May 31, 2015 12:01:34 GMT -8
The fact that these alarms were placed in lockers not utilized by students is probably another reason for heightened reaction.
It implies that whoever placed them did so in a fashion that no one could be directly implicated in the prank if their locker had an alarm clock.
So the prank was well thought out. If it was truly meant to be harmless why not place them in the utilized lockers?
I don't think there's any disagreement that it was inappropriate and meant to cause a scene. It should be punished. Yeah, in that situation I'm going to assume that it's a clock and an antiquated one at that. See earlier posts about it being a Hollywood or Looney Tunes trope to use an actual alarm clock. Real, dangerous devices would not use something like that. They'd have an electronic timer. Or, they'd have a mostly silent mechanical one. It would be more challenging to make a device that shoe-horns an alarm clock than it would be to use any other modern method of timing.
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188910
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Jan 26, 2013 13:30:48 GMT -8
♥ ℒʊ√ ♥
Clouds float into my life no longer to carry rain or usher storm but to add color to my sunset sky.
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January 2013
luv
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Post by ♥ ℒʊ√ ♥ on May 31, 2015 12:08:25 GMT -8
I don't think there's any disagreement that it was inappropriate and meant to cause a scene. It should be punished.
I'm glad there's agreement on that.
But a felony charge is steep and I think calmer heads will prevail once distance sets in from the act.
Many charges that deserve to be felonies are pleaded down for expedience sake. So there's no reason why this one shouldn't be.
It will depend on how hard nose the DA wants to be. Let's hope they remember back to their high school days.
And yes, you are correct. Antiquated bomb it would be to go "tick tock".
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209486
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Mar 6, 2016 15:03:59 GMT -8
T.C.
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May 2014
tacochuck
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Post by T.C. on May 31, 2015 12:21:20 GMT -8
There's no "overreaction" whatsoever. The school officials did what every parent would want them to do once they find something suspicious, such as ticking or alarms coming from unused lockers. A reasonable parent would want it investigated. A reasonable parent would also want the kids punished to an extent that matches the incident and intent. There's a stark difference between a teenage prank and a legitimate violent threat. I don't blame the school for investigating. That's an appropriate thing. Throwing them to the criminal system for it could be excessive. True. Often they are pressured by a school official, though. But, I agree that the DA is ultimately the one that decides. Too often they throw the book at someone for minor offenses. Maybe we should think up some harsher punishment for when someone sneaks up behind you and yells, "boo." The world is not perfectly safe. Nor is it free from offense. Not every offense or "fear" should be treated criminally. To do so leads to authoritarianism and a draconian oversight. This process erodes freedom. Rather than provide safety it leaves us with a world where doing almost anything can be prosecuted. Unless, of course, you like an entire existence that feels like the walk through an airport security check. The solution to that is for justice to meet the nature of the offense. It wasn't necessary to ruin kids lives for senior pranks a generation ago. It isn't now. Well, unless a person lives themselves in a perpetual state of fear and wants everyone to suffer with them. I'd rather live in a free and happy society where sometimes bad stuff happens rather than a police state where you can't risk anything at all. What they did is considered a felony crime so apparently they are being punished accordingly. The school acted accordingly and contacted the police, the matter left their hands. The Judicial system makes mistakes and as well as too harsh of a sentence for some, others are given leniency for the same crimes. People aren't afraid of dying because they hear "boo", but they are of"boom"
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Peabrained Codebreaker
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Mar 11, 2020 7:47:27 GMT -8
Boy_Wonder
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natzy24
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Post by Boy_Wonder on May 31, 2015 20:09:23 GMT -8
Okay... so new way of discovering a bomb people!! IF SOMETHING TICKS IT MUST BE A BOMB BECAUSE THATS WHAT HAPPENS IN MOVIES.
If they wanted to create a bomb hoax... they would NOT have done something ticking. They would have sent an ANONYMOUS tip off to the authorities or to a teacher saying "I've heard there's a bomb in x y or z location"
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Sept 6, 2012 15:46:49 GMT -8
Derek‽
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August 2004
kajiaisu
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Post by Derek‽ on Jun 1, 2015 4:01:43 GMT -8
It implies that whoever placed them did so in a fashion that no one could be directly implicated in the prank if their locker had an alarm clock.
So the prank was well thought out. If it was truly meant to be harmless why not place them in the utilized lockers As a general rule, students don't want to be caught when they pull a prank on their school, regardless of the spirit in which it was conceived. Getting away with it is part of the thrill, and covering your tracks is crucial. There's simply no incentive to implicate themselves in such an obvious manner, and it's quite a stretch to assume they had nefarious intentions simply because they attempted to not get caught. That's a bit like saying a person who slows down when they pass a speed trap must have drugs in their car, or else they'd just keep on speeding. Because they didn't want to get in trouble for a very minor offense, they are extremely suspicious and clearly trying not to get busted for a much larger one!
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