Savage, Prior Lake police plead with students to end Nerf war

Prior Lake American

The students at Prior Lake High School are winning the battle, but the police departments of Savage and Prior Lake are trying to win the war. Nerf war, that is.

Prior Lake Police Chief Mark Elliott, Savage Police Chief Rodney Seurer and Prior Lake High School Principal John Bezek sent a letter to parents on Thursday warning them about the ongoing battle and calling for an end to the Nerf wars that have become popular nationwide.

"A lot of times, they're involved in activities that are unsafe while playing the game," Elliott said. "There's currently one going on in Prior Lake with Prior Lake High School students, and we're getting calls from people concerned about what's happening."

Students across town are breaking out their foam-based Nerf weaponry for informal games with "bounties" for "killing" other students by hitting them with the foam darts. Elliott said one pops up in Prior Lake every few years, as students cycle through and start anew.

"There's no law against playing it," Elliott said. "So no, I'm not saying they shouldn't play it at all. They have different options on ways they could make the game safe ... where they're not running throughout the community."

It's not the Nerf game itself, which is relatively harmless, but rather what students do while playing the game — reckless driving, violating curfew, trespassing or damaging property, Elliott said. In 2015, two Lakeville South High students died in a car crash while they were playing the game, according to the Pioneer Press. Two other students were injured.

There's an extra layer of concern, given the conversation about gun violence recently — Elliott said he got a call about a person running from a house with a gun into a vehicle that then sped away.

"The person calling in thought something bad just happened and here it was kids playing Nerf war," Elliott said. "We've had driving complaints and those we catch up with were playing this game."

According to the letter, the game caused "a physical confrontation" this year in the Prior Lake High School parking lot, reckless driving, threats on social media, students skipping school and constant texting and social media'ing about the game during school hours.

"Nerf wars are not, and never have been, a school-endorsed activity," the letter said.

There are ways to make the game safe, Elliott said.

"The high school students tend to run a new one every so often," Elliott said. "In years past, some of the organizers of the game have worked with the school to set up some of those rules ... there's always different people involved in it and I think it's important for those kids, if they want to play this game, to work with the schools and communities to try and find safe alternatives."

According to the letter, the district and law enforcement are conducting investigations that "could result in criminal charges." So students might want to stick to the parks during park hours (and let somebody in charge know what's happening).