'Should Have Come Out Years Ago': Some Parents Thrilled As DPS Launches App To Report School Threats

The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety reports that there has been a big increase in bogus school threats in the state and across the country, which puts a strain on local resources.

The DPS has created an app called “Protect OK", so people can report anything suspicious. They're asking people to download it and use it before posting anything on social media.

Two parents say they will be downloading the Protect OK app and will have their kids do it too. Schools all over Oklahoma that there is nothing more important than keeping kids safe every day.

Related Story: Tulsa Schools, Tulsa Police Address Rising Threats: New Safety Measures Announced

Police say most of the threats they've seen on social media recently are bogus, and most come from outside the state and outside the country. The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety says it's important for people to report anything suspicious so that every threat can be investigated.

“I do feel like you never know; you never know what's fake and what's real, and it's very important to look into that stuff,” said Brittany Brewer of Tulsa.

Brewer has four school-aged kids and says having an app like Protect OK is great because the threats are sent to the Oklahoma Counter Terrorism Intelligence Center.

“I think the app is very beneficial, and I feel like it's something that maybe should have come out years ago,” Brewer said.

Protect OK started out as a website, and then when threats increased, they created an app for people to have easier access to it. DPS says every tip goes to intelligence agents who are on call 24/7 to figure out if the threat is real.

If it is, the right people will be contacted.

" Get them to the proper authorities to ies to investigate. That might be campus police, that might be city police, might be a county sheriff's department, it might be the FBI,” said Sarah Steward with Oklahoma DPS.

Even though many schools have their own tip lines, DPS says it's important everyone also uses the app to make sure the correct investigators get the information.

“Similar things may be happening at other schools, and this is a way to kind of, you know, be able to see that, see patterns, and to be able to recognize things that are happening across the state and maybe even across the country,” said Stewart.

The app also allows people to send anonymous tips

If you're on the app, there's a quick and easy way to call 9-1-1 in an emergency or 9-8-8, the helpline for a mental health crisis.