May 19, 2006–The Virgin Islands has recently experienced a rash of bomb threats approaching epidemic proportions. These criminal acts must be stopped, and they must be stopped immediately. Those who are performing these insensate acts may think that their actions are mere "pranks," but nothing could be further from the truth. These are criminal acts with a high price for the people of this community.
These ill-conceived actions are costing the people of this territory in countless ways, and costing them dearly. The Virgin Islands Police Department must respond to each and every threat just as if it were an immediate hazard. Each response involves a significant number of personnel and equipment at a cost to the taxpayers.
The "victim" in these cases is not just the targeted business or school or institution; the victim is actually all of us. Every citizen of the territory is victimized by these senseless acts in one way or another.
When a business or school must evacuate and close its doors in order to safeguard life, several things happen simultaneously. Employees and staff are diverted from their tasks, losing productive hours and costing money. The public is inconvenienced when they are unable to access services they desire due to these closures. Traffic is sometimes diverted, causing delays and inconvenience to motorists.
Those officers who are dispatched to handle such situations are being taken away from other necessary duties to assist in building evacuations, searches and investigations. The VIPD is already under-manned, and dealing with malicious bomb threats that divert badly needed resources from other tasks of keeping the public safe is unfair to all of us. The cost of these "pranks" is so high that most lawmakers have agreed that such acts are deserving of felony punishment upon conviction.
The V.I. Police Department is exerting every effort possible to identify, apprehend and prosecute these offenders to the fullest extent possible. We are cooperating with the federal authorities in these investigations to ensure that everything that can be done is being done.
Federal law provides for severe penalties; making a false bomb threat is a federal offense punishable under United States Code 18-844(e), with a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, $250,000 fine or both. This penalty also applies to juvenile offenders. (Source: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives 2003). Virgin Islands law provides similar penalties for such offenses.
This epidemic of bomb threats cannot be allowed to continue affecting the lives of our citizens, and we will be taking further steps to combat this threat. As commissioner of Police, I am calling for meetings with representatives from the Legislature, Innovative Communications Corporation, the cellular telephone service providers, and Homeland Security to explore avenues of dealing with this situation swiftly and surely. We will be working to quickly obtain the necessary technology to identify and locate callers, whether they call from private, public or cellular telephones. Elements of existing plans may be advanced in order to address this problem expeditiously and effectively.
Whatever it takes, we will strive to identify, apprehend and prosecute those who make bomb threats. Those who would commit these acts should know also that we will stringently oppose any leniency in the handling of these offenders, regardless of their age. There is no excuse whatsoever for causing such disruption to people's lives, and we cannot and will not tolerate it.
Editors note: Elton Lewis is the Police commissioner of the Virgin Islands
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