Student's joke about gun no laughing matter to police

Police believe a student at the Watson Learning Center was making a joke, but they weren't amused.

A student allegedly joked about having a gun as the school's metal detector sounded at about 8:15 a.m. Thursday. It turns out the student was unarmed, but it took awhile to confirm that.

Meanwhile, officials at the school, 5900 Hereford Drive in northwest Fort Worth, were alarmed so they called police. The student was taken into custody for making a false report, said Lt. Paul Henderson, Fort Worth police spokesman.

"It may sound like all fun and games," he said, "but what it boils down to is putting people's safety in jeopardy."

The people in danger in these situations are the ones who make the jokes, he added.

"This came in (on police radios) as a Signal 32, which is a person with a gun," Henderson explained. "So you don't know as an officer driving up what's really going on.

"Your senses are heightened. Your adrenaline is heightened. You go into a tactical mode; you have to in order to maintain your own safety."

Any sudden or threatening moves, could draw a robust if not deadly response from police, even if they're intended as pranks, Henderson said.

"I would not recommend, even in a joking manner, to claim having any kind of weapon whether you're at the airport, or school or a court," he said.

The Texas Penal Code states that making a false report is considered a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. But, if it's done at a school, it can be kicked up to state jail felony, punishable by up to two years in a state jail and a $10,000 fine, according to the code.

-- Bill Miller