Threats targeting Orem, Provo schools are a hoax, police say

PROVO — Police in Provo and Orem say the latest round of school threats they received late Thursday night is believed to be a hoax.

"We have received numerous reports of a threatened violent event at an unspecified school, to occur tomorrow morning," Provo police said in a Facebook post Thursday night.

Orem police posted a nearly identical message to Facebook around the same time.

Hours later, Provo police said, "The threat is believed to be a hoax and no credible information has been received. Other states have received similar hoax threats."

"This is being spread through various social media formats as well as emails and cell data. We have been working with Alpine School District who has notified parents at this school," the Orem Police Department said in a post. "The same threat is also circulating throughout a neighboring city."

Both departments said that officers and detectives are actively investigating the reports, adding that extra officers will be present at area schools in an abundance of caution.

Because of a high call volume regarding the threat, police were asking that only those with "specific, credible" information relating to the source of the hoax call in about it.

"Know that we want to make sure everyone is safe going to school tomorrow and extra officers will be on hand to help provide safety for our children," Orem Police Department said in the post.

This round of hoax threats comes more than a month after calls coming from outside the U.S. alleging shootings at more than a dozen Utah schools prompted swift police responses across the state.

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