Ohio’s Republican governor Mike DeWine is sending state troopers to help secure Springfield schools, which have seen a string of unfounded bomb threats after Donald Trump highlighted the small midwestern city’s immigration struggles during last week’s presidential debate.
DeWine on Monday authorized a contingent of three dozen troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Mobile Field Force to provide added security at each of the Springfield school district’s 18 school buildings, according to a news release.
DeWine sent in the troopers after at least 33 bomb threats have been made against the city since the presidential debate when Trump made unverified claims about Springfield’s Haitian population, including alleging that Haitian immigrants are “eating the pets of the people that live there.”
The troopers will be stationed throughout the district to “sweep each building for threats before students and faculty arrive,” the governor’s office said. They will also “stay on-site to provide security throughout the school day and during dismissal.” This protocol will remain in place for the foreseeable future.
“Many of these threats are coming in from overseas, made by those who want to fuel the current discord surrounding Springfield,” DeWine said. “We cannot let the bad guys win.”
“We must take every threat seriously, but children deserve to be in school, and parents deserve to know that their kids are safe,” DeWine added. “The added security will help ease some of the fears caused by these hoaxes.”
Ohio Homeland Security was also directed to conduct vulnerability assessments on critical infrastructure throughout the city, according to the governor’s office. It will also provie tower cameras for use by local police to enhance situational awareness. The Ohio Department of Public Safety has additionally “arranged for bomb detection dogs to be stationed in Springfield each day,” the governor’s office said.
DeWine recently adopted measures intended to relieve the pressure exerted on state resources due to the influx of Haitian migrants, including dedicating $2.5 million toward expanding primary healthcare access and dircting the highway patrol to support local police with traffic enforcement.
“None of the threats that have come in to Springfield to date have been legitimate,” DeWine reassured the public. “We’re doing this purely as a precaution to prevent further disruption within the Springfield City School District.”