Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) announced Monday he has authorized a contingent of state troopers to be stationed at each school building in Springfield, Ohio, following a series of “unfounded bomb threats.”
Former President Trump mentioned Springfield last week during the presidential debate, when he repeated false claims about Haitian migrants eating people’s pets.
In the days since, the city has seen at least 33 bomb threats, all of which have been hoaxes, DeWine said Monday. Yet the threats have forced several schools, the city hall and the state motor vehicle office to evacuate as the threats were investigated.
“Many of these threats are coming in from overseas, made by those who want to fuel the current discord surrounding Springfield. We cannot let the bad guys win,” DeWine said.
“We must take every threat seriously, but children deserve to be in school, and parents deserve to know that their kids are safe. The added security will help ease some of the fears caused by these hoaxes,” he continued.
Starting Tuesday, 36 state troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Mobile Field Force will be stationed throughout the school district.
They will sweep the school buildings for threats each day before students and faculty arrive, remaining on-site throughout the day “to provide security throughout the school day and during dismissal.”
“None of the threats that have come in to Springfield to date have been legitimate. We’re doing this purely as a precaution to prevent further disruption within the Springfield City School District,” DeWine said.
DeWine said he also directed Ohio Homeland Security to conduct vulnerability assessments on “critical infrastructure” in the city, as well as provide surveillance cameras to the local police department. The Ohio Department of Public Safety has provided bomb detection dogs to be stationed in Springfield each day, DeWine said.
DeWine has forcefully dismissed the rumors about migrants eating their pets, but he has, at the same time, acknowledged the strain on the community the recent influx of Haitian migrants has had on the city.
He has declined to blame Trump for the recent wave of bomb threats, saying the Biden administration’s border and immigration policies are legitimate issues to debate.