A Tale Of Two Cities And How They Handle Threats

Two big-city school systems have responded differently today to a threat of violence in schools.

Officials in Los Angeles responded by shutting down the entire district. But New York officials dismissed the threat as an amateurish hoax, and held class as usual.

New York's police commissioner said it looked like whoever had sent the threat had been watching the Showtime terrorism drama ``Homeland.''

School officials in Los Angeles are defending their decision to shut the schools for the day. The school superintendent said every building would be searched.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck says the threat was specific to all of the campuses in the Los Angeles Unified School District. And he says the city takes threats against its schools seriously, particularly since the recent attack in nearby San Bernardino.  {Associated Press)