Ferndale Police

On the morning of February 22nd, the Ferndale Police Department School Resource Officer was advised that several students were receiving Snapchat messages from an unknown person.  Those messages indicated that there would be a shooting at Ferndale High School.

Uniform patrol officers provided extra security at the school while Ferndale Police Detectives attempted to identify the owner of the Snapchat account.  Ferndale police were able to identify the IP address where the messages originated, and with assistance from Lummi Police and the FBI, Ferndale Police detained two juveniles.

The juveniles were interviewed and one juvenile confessed to making the Snapchat threat.  The juvenile advised that it was just a hoax.  No weapons were located and it did not appear that the juvenile had access to any weapons.  That juvenile was booked into Whatcom County Juvenile Detention for Threat to Bomb or Injure property.

From the Ferndale Police Department:
There is a post from “Ray Andres” being circulated around social media last night in the Whatcom area. The post indicates that “Ray” intends to bring a gun to school and do harm. The school mentioned is “SHS,” and is no more specific than that.

It appears the identically written post has originated in another state, likely Ohio according to news reports, and has been circulating throughout several states, including Ohio, Oregon, and California. There is no indication the post was specifically referring to schools in Ferndale and several news articles indicate the post referenced a school in Ohio.

We have investigated the post and there does not appear to be any credible threat to Ferndale High School. Ferndale Schools and the Ferndale Police Department continue to work together to ensure the safety of our children and we take each threat to safety and security seriously and investigate thoroughly. Please continue to encourage your children to report these types of incidents.

On January 30th and 31st, 2018, the Ferndale Police Department held testing and oral interviews for both lateral and entry level officers.  The three lateral applicants all met the minimum passing standards, as did 12 of the 14 entry level applicants.  On the 1st of February, 2018, the Civil Service Commission reviewed and certified the lists.  Individuals will remain on the lists for a period of one year from date of certification.

Click here to see the list.  All certifications expire February 1, 2019.