Johnston School Threats: Classes Resume Wednesday With Late Start, Investigation Into Cyber Crime Continues

JOHNSTON, IA. -- Anonymous threats reported by families in the Johnston school district on Monday continued to occur on Tuesday, but while officials with the Johnston Police Department, FBI and other agencies continue to express confidence there is "no known credible threat" to the community, classes will resume on Wednesday. All buildings will start class two hours late.

School district officials decided Tuesday to resume classes after police reiterated that it would be safe to do so.“The Johnston Police Department will put full effort into preserving the safety and security of our community and its most precious resource – our children,” Police Chief Dennis McDaniel said. “Throughout the day (Tuesday) our investigation continued to reinforce that we have no known credible threat against our schools. Nonetheless, we will be vigilant in our efforts and encourage community members to do the same.”

Added law enforcement personnel will be at each building throughout the school day, McDaniel said, and the late start will allow authorities to "perform proactive security sweeps of each school building prior to the opening of these facilities." School district officials requested the security measures.

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McDaniel said resources at the federal level were brought in to dedicate additional personnel and provide specific expertise in cyber-crimes since the threats involved personal information thought to have been obtained online.

The Johnston Police Department also advises individuals take steps to ensure the protection of their identity and personal information by enacting the following security measures:

• Change online passwords frequently while ensuring they are strong and secure; utilize different passwords for different accounts.
• Only give your Social Security number (SSN) when it is necessary and do not carry your card in a wallet.
• Keep items with personal information in a safe place and either shred or tear them up before throwing them away.
• Only reveal personal financial information if you know whom you are dealing with, how the information will be used, and if it will be shared with others.
• Verify your credit card and banking statements each month for unauthorized charges or suspicious activity.
• Photocopy financial and insurance cards carried in your wallet (front and back) and keep original copies in a safe place in the event your wallet is lost or stolen.

Police also recommended people order a copy of their credit report from the three major credit-reporting agencies to ensure their identity has been safeguarded and consider a fee-based subscription service for anyone at a heightened rick of cyber intrusion.

Credit reports may be ordered by contacting the following credit bureaus:

• Experian: www.experian.com (888-397-3742)
• Equifax: www.equifax.com (800-685-1111)
• TransUnion: www.transunion.com (800-916-8800)

Photo: Johnston school district