Lock him up for a year with a little electric shock therapy...Medicate the kid...and then see what the parents are in need of...the same treatment...

welcome to world of "no punshment".
God knows we cant possibly spank him/her...or raise our voices. Cant have teachers punish them, it would be "abuse" or "racist" or some other lawyer speak they can think of...

If he doesn't get some kind of punishment for this, he will figure he got away with it. Then what will he do next time? If they are old enough to pull pranks like this, then they are old enough to accept a fitting punishment. Imagine how the families of the kids felt thinking their child could be killed.

He needs punishment for this serious behaviour--the kind of punishment that he could understand and learn from.

Maybe probation with some mental health counseling

I would think a year in Redwing and some mental health counseling would help this young person.

The problem is the universal access to cell phones. Nowadays, every child seems to have a cellphone, and there is really no need for a child to have a cellphone. If the child wants to talk with his friend, just go knock on his door! If you watch any of the 1950s or 1960s TV shows, people and society functioned much better without the so-called advantages of modern technology.

In any case, I would suggest the strongest possible punishment for this 12-year-old: Make him watch five hours straight- with no break, mind you- of Harry Reid's speeches! That kid will never act up again!

make him stare at a picture of Pelosi.
no, thats cruel and unusual...

I think 30 days in a juvenile detention center would do him some good, or a place like Bar None in St Francis, which is a youth treatment facility. If he doesn't get a fairly severe punishment, it'll give other young teenagers and pre-teens the impression that they can do whatever they want without serious consequence. How much did it cost the cities/states in manpower to respond to this prank?

What he did is called "swatting." Unfortunately, it's becoming more and more common and is typically done by computer hackers. This kid just happened to get caught doing it. The more that this kind of crap goes on, the greater the chance someone is going to accidentally get shot or be killed.

Personally, I think juvenile detention is a good idea with community service and counseling if needed.

If the kid is dealing with some life issues at the moment, (which we don't know what those are), I think "throwing the book at him" isn't the appropriate response. Or stick him in a juvenile detention center where God know what would happen to him isn't the response either. Therapy and some community service like having to sit for 40 hours at a 911 call center to hear what actual emergencies are and who those Emergency Responders handle real situations.

That said, listing to Michelle Bachmann or Paul Ryan could also be concerned torture as well.

It's sad that adults in our area immediately jump to "throw the book at him". However, I would bet that you didn't feel that way about the MG Hockey players or kid who brought the fake gun to school a couple years ago.

It all depends on what purpose we want from the "punishment". Retribution? Then cane him. Rehabilitation? A lengthy term of community service with an organization that has the ability to show him the real consequences of his actions. Incapacitation? 30 days in the JDC. Deterrence? Doesn't really work. Restitution? Fine him (his parents) and contribute the money to the 911 program.

Just found this. When I wrote the article, I was unaware that a bill for this sort of thing was being considered by Minnesota lawmakers.

According to a Fox 9 story:

"As attorneys and investigators work through this case, Minnesota lawmakers are considering a bill introduced earlier this month that would make it a misdemeanor to call 911 when there's no real emergency. It would be a gross misdemeanor if the 911 call was intended to lure police somewhere, and the charge could become a felony if the call results in serious injury."

The article doesn't detail, however, if this would be appropriate for a minor.

I can't even believe there's a question as to if he needs to be punished or not. First, need to punish the young for their crimes/shenanigans. If not they continue and each thing they do will get bigger and bigger. His/her peers will see he/she's getting away with it and could possibly do something of their own and just continue to snowball. I think kids need earlier and better discipline as well as teaching them better respect for the world around them. And to blame a cell phone? That's just stupid. As always people look for something or someone else to blame. How about putting the blame on the individual that messed up? They made a wrong decision, accept it and deal with it and do the punishment.
Community service is a joke for a punishment. That's about as effective as school suspensions which are just mini vacations. Kids like this need to go to a facility of some type with no privileges for at least 6 months to a year to learn what can happen if they continue that lifestyle. No punishment or community service is like pushing it under the rug.
Have them miss a birthday and a couple holidays. I may sound harsh, but this world is getting worse each day and stronger measures need to be taken. I'm a mom of 3 and I'd be devastated if this was one of them...but they need to learn and know this is more than just a prank. (And I know we all have our own opinions, but reading some - not all - of the above kind of explains why so many kids get away with things)

Community service, a public apology to the students and staff at the school affected, and counseling - individual and family.

Willow has the most logical response...

Lotsa heavy handed responses about punishment being bandied, no doubt offered by those brought up in military-style families or abusive homes. This is a 12 year old kid, not an adult. Yes, he needs to be taught a lesson, but a year in a juvie facility at this point in his life will do nothing to compensate the "victims" of this prank, nor rehabilitate him, but rather likely turn him into a lifelong criminal. Removing him from school now would forever ruin his developmental path, and rejoining a class of younger kids later will ensure he is an outcast for the remainder of his academic career. All for a stupid prank. This kid needs to make amends, a heavy dose of community service to benefit the school, police department, and city is a great place to start, and probation for a few years is likely to set this kid back on a productive path to lifelong law abiding citizenship. If behavioral problems persist afterwards, then maybe turn to stiffer punishment, taking history of incidents into account.

Community service would be very beneficial for this CHILD. For those of you that think community service is too light, consider the impact on his life. When his friends are hanging out or playing sports, he would be serving the community. That does serve both as a punishment to him and a deterrent to others. It also rehabilitates a CHILD who used terrible judgment. Community service also impacts the parents in a positive way versus locking him up.

Personally, I prefer our overcrowded jail system be reserved for violent criminals as opposed to pranksters...5% of the world's population with 25% of the prisoners; let's lock up the right people.

I concur with Willow--community service, public apology and counseling.

UPDATE: The boy has been charged with felony terroristic threats and faces a lesser charge for the 911 call, according to a KSTP report. This has also been added to the article body.

Story on KSTP here: http://kstp.com/article/stories/s2969443.shtml

Willow, I think you're right. He needs to do all you said in you're message. Maybe he should have to listen to some of the parents and the students that were all affected by this. Listen to what was going through all their minds when they heard the announcement about what they thought happened. If this child has any compassion, he will take it to heart.

I think a punishment that comes from society (aka the court system) is important, since what he did affected society, and he should understand that. I doubt probation would seem like punishment to him; maybe a work house or roadside cleanup for a decent amount of time. I am sure he also needs to be in therapy to figure out why he did this, and should probably see a psychiatrist as well.

Community service...and I mean REAL community service. With both hard work and long hours. Something that shows a finished project. Give him sense of worth. A community apology- in front of entire student body. Dont gather the school for just that though-- add it to another all-school event.
People are all concerend about feelings getting hurt and what not...we need to come back for this BS touchy-feely PC society we live in and grow some backbone. Its how we all were raised, and if you cant see the downfalls of letting everyone do whatever they want, and allowing kids to never lose and never get any real punishment, this is what you get.

I am not kidding when I say this: Watch "Leave it to Beaver" and see what Ward Cleaver tells Wally or Beaver when they mess up. Or Robert Young in "Father Knows Best." Such TV programs from the 50s and 60s carried a positive message on how young people were supposed to behave. And families were depicted as a family structure should be, a man and wife raising children, with the wife at home properly supervising the children.

Now, TV programs show befuddled parents at the mercy of their children.

Punishment makes us feel better, restitution makes us whole again. We are "punishing" far too many already and this kid is 12 and without a fully developed brain. All the dominatrix' need to chill a bit.

My granddaughter goes to that school. She was terrified, not to mention the horror that her parents experienced. Her Dad could not get there fast enough. This young man certainly needs to be held accountable and face consequences.

Ya know what folks..... Mr. Falls is correct!! With all of you "knowing what to do" & your own personal opinions, unmatched & unfailed discipline methods & management of child behavior, & not to mention that you have been so exemplary & perfect role models, I see that not many of you are looking at how much pain & embarassment this family has gone through already . Enough!!! You all just keep pushing at him & you just may cause him to put a bullet in his own head! Then, you all can be proud of how effective your input has been. Wow! I'd love to read your comments then. I'm done.

So Oscar and Woodtick what do you think should be done? It seen obvious you don’t think he should be punished. Do you think that he should be returned to school and told not to do anything wrong, and if he does something wrong what then? Another Steve Howe last chance? Tell us what you think needs to be done.