Officers will conduct daily bomb sweeps at Springfield schools after threats
The Ohio State Highway Patrol will conduct daily bomb sweeps at Springfield schools in response to a flood of bogus threats, Gov. Mike DeWine said on Monday.
The governor said all 33 bomb threats received so far have been hoaxes.
"We have people, unfortunately overseas, who are taking these actions. Some of them are coming from one particular country. We think that this is one more opportunity to mess with the United States," DeWine said during a Monday afternoon news conference. "We cannot let the bad guys win. Our schools must remain open. They're going to remain open."
'They hate us': Haitian Springfield residents speak out as city remains in spotlight
DeWine declined to name the specific country where the threats are coming from.
The patrol will deploy explosive sniffing dogs and will work in concert with the Springfield Police Department. Three dozen troopers will be assigned to provide security before, during and after school hours at the city's 18 school buildings for the foreseeable future.
DeWine noted that the thousands of Haitians who relocated to Springfield for work are there under legal status.
"There are issues about immigration that anybody has the legitimate right to talk about and to debate. The fact that our southern border is porous and is a total mess is a legitimate issue in a presidential campaign, a Senate campaign or any other campaign," DeWine said.
He offered no opinion on whether it is a good idea for former President Donald Trump to make a campaign stop in Springfield.
Trump said in the nationally televised debate with Vice President Kamala Harris last week that Haitian immigrants were eating people's pets in Springfield.
DeWine, who has visited Haiti more than two dozen times and sponsors a school there named after his late daughter, said those allegations are untrue.
He declined to criticize Trump for making the comments and reiterated that problems with illegal immigration are legitimate issues to debate on the campaign trail.
An estimated 15,000 Haitians have settled in Springfield over the past several years, a dramatic population increase for a community with nearly 59,000 people as of the 2020 census.
The result, local and state officials say: A housing crisis, overtaxed health care system and concerns about driver safety that only increased after a Haitian immigrant caused a school bus crash that killed an 11-year-old on board. DeWine said last week that the state will commit at least $2.5 million to expand primary care access and send state troopers to Clark County to help local police monitor the roads.
Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine: Bomb sweeps ordered for Springfield schools
