Queens High School Shooting Threat: Metal Detectors and School Safety

Alleged School Shooting Plot Foiled

• 🚨 Police were alerted to a 16-year-old's social media post detailing an alleged shooting plot at Benjamin Cardozo High School in Bayside, Queens.
• 🔫 Authorities took the student into custody and found a loaded handgun with 13 rounds in his backpack.
• ⚠️ The incident has raised questions about school safety protocols, especially as the gun would not have been detected without scanners.

Enhanced Security Measures

• 🚶‍♂️ Students were seen walking through metal detectors on Friday, a security measure not previously in place at the school.
• ❓ The incident highlights concerns for parents regarding the effectiveness of current safety measures in preventing potential tragedies.

School Safety Policy and Protocol

• 🏫 The Department of Education states that the use of scanners and metal detectors is determined by the NYPD school safety division.
• 📜 Current protocols were established in 2016 and have not been updated since.
• 🚫 Both the Department of Education and the NYPD declined to be interviewed on the matter.

Legal Proceedings for Suspect

• ⚖️ The Queens District Attorney's Office is considering whether to charge the 16-year-old suspect as an adult or a minor.
• 📅 An arraignment for the suspect, charged with criminal possession of a weapon and making terrorist threats, is scheduled to take place.