Connecticut State Police say they’re taking all school clown threats seriously. In at least three towns, police have arrested people for dressing up as clowns and threatening schools on social media.
State police spokesperson Trooper Kelly Grant says the threats are no joke.
“It’s not a game, it’s not a joke, it’s not funny. It’s one thing to dress up in a clown costume. It’s another when you dress up in a clown costume and you start threatening people, scaring people. That’s when it becomes a problem.”
Grant says these incidences are similar to “swatting.” That’s when a false threat is called in. She says these threats unnecessarily distract police from legitimate emergencies.
A new state law that went into effect October 1 made threatening schools a felony.