Post Reports Podcast Summary: "Deep Reads: Children joked about school shootings. Then the sheriff sent them to jail."

Podcast Information:

• Title: Post Reports
• Host/Author: The Washington Post
• Episode: Deep Reads: Children joked about school shootings. Then the sheriff sent them to jail.
• Release Date: February 22, 2025

Introduction

In the February 22, 2025, episode of Post Reports, hosts Martine Powers and Elahe Izadi delve into a troubling phenomenon: the drastic spike in arrests of children making threats about school shootings following actual mass school shootings. This episode, part of the Deep Reads series, offers a comprehensive narrative investigation into how law enforcement's zero-tolerance policies are impacting young students, with a particular focus on Volusia County, Florida.

Background: Surge in School Threats Post-Shooting

The episode begins with an introduction by co-hosts John Woodrow Cox and Hannah Natenson, both seasoned reporters from The Washington Post, who have extensively covered school shootings and their repercussions.

• Hannah Natenson shares her long-term engagement with reporting on school shootings, highlighting incidents ranging from a seven-year-old shooter in Virginia to a recent 14-year-old in Georgia.

• John Woodrow Cox discusses his eight-year focus on narrative reporting concerning gun violence in schools, mentioning critical events like the Newtown, Uvalde, Parkland, and Las Vegas shootings.

The discussion transitions into their collaborative research, which revealed a stark increase in threats and subsequent arrests following major school shootings. Their investigation involved contacting nearly 250 of the nation’s largest school districts for data and reviewing 20,000 news articles to track reported arrests within two weeks of each shooting.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood’s Hardline Approach

The narrative zeroes in on Volusia County, Florida, where Sheriff Mike Chitwood implemented an unprecedented and controversial policy in response to the surge in school threats.

• Perp Walking of Minors: Sheridan Chitwood began "perp walking" children as young as 11 who made threats on social media, a practice virtually unheard of, especially involving minors not convicted of any crime.

  [10:42] Mike Chitwood: "You know, this is absolutely out of control and it ends now."

• Public Shaming: Chitwood publicly released the names and faces of the arrested children, ensuring that their identities were disseminated widely on platforms like YouTube and Instagram. This method aimed to deter other children from making similar threats by instilling fear of public humiliation.

  [10:51] Mike Chitwood: "So we're going to start doing Monday is since parents, you don't want to raise your kids, I'm going to start raising them. Every time we make an arrest, your kid's photo is going to be put out there. And if I could do it, I'm going to perp walk your kid so that everybody can see what your kid's up to."

Chitwood justified his actions by emphasizing the need to protect the majority of students and maintain safety within schools. Despite anticipating backlash, Chitwood noted a significant decline in threat-related arrests following his policy implementation.

[22:10] Mike Chitwood: "The 99% of students who are going to school to do the right thing. I have to worry about teachers, administrators and parents. Somebody else could worry about little Johnny or little Jandy. I cannot have schools and after school activities and parents and teachers running around in fear."

Case Study: Armando’s Experience

A focal point of the episode is the harrowing story of Armando, an 11-year-old boy from Port Orange, Florida, who became a victim of Sheriff Chitwood’s policies.

• Arrest and Detention: Armando was arrested for an Instagram post that was perceived as a threat to blow up his school. Despite claiming it was a joke and that his guns were airsoft toys, he was charged with a felony and detained for three weeks.

  [11:11] John Woodrow Cox: "On social media. His ultimatum was a hit."

Armando’s detention experience was traumatic. He faced bullying, fear, and isolation within the juvenile detention center. The public shaming video of his arrest garnered over 170,000 views, with the majority of comments condemning him.

Jessica (Armando’s Mother): "He [Armando] was branded as a would-be school shooter, potentially for life."

• Impact on Personal Life: Post-release, Armando struggled with nightmares, fear of public spaces, and trauma from being labeled a threat. His family sought a diversion program to erase his felony charge, allowing him to resume a semblance of normalcy through homeschooling and extracurricular activities like flag football.

  Armando: "I wish I was younger, I wish I was younger, because I wanted to be the kid I used to be."

Community and Expert Reactions

The episode explores the broader community response and expert opinions regarding Sheriff Chitwood's approach.

• Parental Concern: Parents like Jessica and Allen expressed frustration and fear over the inconsistent treatment of their children. While Chitwood aggressively pursued arrests, some parents had previous encounters where similar threats were dismissed or handled with more leniency.

  Allen (Middle School Teacher and Parent): "Do I think my son would shoot up a school? No. Even if it's a 1% chance, I'm not going to risk it."

• Educational Impact: Educators faced immense pressure to implement stringent security measures, often at significant financial costs. The psychological toll on teachers and students was evident, with constant lockdowns and heightened anxiety becoming the new norm in schools.

  Kenneth Trump (School Security Expert): "There is such frustration. People are frustrated about not being able to just stop these once and for all. So it becomes we're going to arrest everybody, whether they're 18 or they're nine."

• Expert Critique: Child psychologists and criminologists criticized Chitwood’s methods, arguing that public shaming and harsh punishments could exacerbate the underlying issues leading to threats, rather than address them constructively.

  Deborah Weisbrot (Psychiatry Professor): "There's absolutely no evidence that this is going to be helpful in reducing the level of threats. I do think it's possible that could further humiliate and embarrass a child and they could go further underground in whatever the distress was that led them to make the threat in the first place."

Impact on Students and Schools

The pervasive fear and insecurity instilled by Chitwood’s policies had profound effects on the student body and school environment across Volusia County.

• Student Trauma: Students endured constant fear of lockdowns, genuine or false threats, and the potential for sudden arrests of their peers. This environment hindered their ability to learn and socialize normally.

  Oriah Wallace (17, Theater Student): "Everybody is safe until we're told otherwise."

• Altered School Dynamics: Schools invested heavily in security technologies and protocols, often prioritizing these measures over educational and emotional support for students. The recurring incidents of threats, whether serious or not, created a climate of perpetual tension.

• Example of Taylor Middle High School: The episode recounts an incident where a threat led to immediate lockdowns, re-emphasizing the constant state of alert that schools operate under, contributing to student anxiety and disrupted learning experiences.

  Chief Christopher Newman (School Resource Deputy): "When you use words like I'm gonna shoot up the school, the FBI picks."

Conclusions and Insights

Post Reports highlights the unintended consequences of aggressive law enforcement tactics in response to school threats. While the intention behind Sheriff Chitwood's policies was to enhance safety, the approach resulted in severe emotional and psychological distress for students, strained relationships between law enforcement and the community, and questioned the efficacy of public shaming as a deterrent.

The episode underscores the need for balanced strategies that prioritize mental health support, constructive interventions, and community engagement over punitive measures. Experts advocate for evidence-based approaches that address the root causes of such threats, suggesting that fear-driven policies may not only fail to prevent violence but also harm innocent children in the process.

Notable Quotes:

• Mike Chitwood [10:51]: "We're going to perp walk your kid so that everybody can see what your kid's up to."

• John Woodrow Cox [11:11]: "In the same moment, his investigators were tracking down two more children, one 13 years old and the other 12."

• Armando [32:50]: "I wish I was younger, I wish I was younger, because I wanted to be the kid I used to be."

• Deborah Weisbrot [22:14]: "There is absolutely no evidence that this is going to be helpful in reducing the level of threats."

• Kenneth Trump [21:00]: "We're going to arrest everybody, whether they're 18 or they're nine."

Attribution:

This summary is based on a transcript from the Post Reports podcast episode "Deep Reads: Children joked about school shootings. Then the sheriff sent them to jail." reported by Hannah Natenson and John Woodrow Cox, with contributions from Rosanne Niklowi, and sound production by Bishop Sand.