Fake 'active shooter' threats continue to plague schools across U.S.

Last week, more than five states across the U.S. experienced calls to 911 reporting fake "active shooter" situations at schools. It’s a trend, known colloquially as "swatting," that has sown fear among students, teachers and law enforcement officials in recent months and has prompted investigations.

“It’s way into the mid-30s in terms of the numbers of states that have been hit by this,” Mo Canady, the executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, told Yahoo News. “It's been four months now, and it seems to continue with the same level of intensity and the same level of consistency.”

The first wave of swatting calls began in September. NPR reported on Oct. 24 that there had been over 180 reports of swatting incidents in 28 states from Sept. 13 through Oct. 21. But now the number of hoax calls is increasing daily.

Gracie Taub, a student at Denver East High School in Colorado, which received a hoax threat in September, told Yahoo News on Wednesday that “the scariest part of going through a lockdown hoax was that, for many students, we weren’t even surprised."

"The threat of a shooter at school is real and normal, and that is what must change,” Taub said. "We should not have to live in a country where we ever have to worry that a school shooter threat could be real."

Since mid-September, dozens of schools have experienced the same kind of hoax. The first two weeks of December alone brought reports of swatting calls in Alabama, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, West Virginia, Montana and Washington.

Alabama

On Tuesday, several school districts across northern Alabama — including Madison City Schools, Huntsville City, Morgan County and Jackson County Schools — received false reports of school shootings.

Madison City Schools Superintendent Ed Nichols said in a statement that each district received a fake call “alerting them to an ‘active shooter’ on their campuses. Based on the information we have obtained, there was no active threat in these districts. This appears to be someone trying to cause alarm.”

Oklahoma

On Dec. 8, several schools in Oklahoma received hoax shooting calls. In audio of one 911 call, someone claims that four students have been shot in a math class. That same evening, Enid, Okla., police arrested a local high school student who had allegedly made a hoax call to one of the schools as a prank.

In a statement, police said, “The student was arrested on complaints of misuse of the 911 system, terrorism hoax and false reporting of a crime.”

Eric Foster, a trooper in the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, told local media how seriously the state takes such calls: “It is something we do not take lightly. To us it’s not a prank, this was serious, and actually, it’s criminal.”

New Hampshire

New Hampshire schools also experienced fake calls on Dec. 8. The state’s Department of Safety said it was aware of the calls and would continue to investigate.

According to officials, the threats were hoaxes. “We saw schools using their emergency operation plans to respond to the calls. These incidents continue to show us why it is important for schools to conduct trainings and exercises on those plans,” Robert Buxton, Homeland Security emergency management director, said in a statement.

West Virginia

On Dec. 7, schools in nearly a dozen counties in West Virginia received swatting calls. None of the 911 reports were deemed credible, the state’s Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

"Each threat is taken seriously and thoroughly investigated,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Jeff Sandy. “We are one hundred percent committed to continuing to ensure the health, safety and well-being of students and communities. We diligently work across departments and agencies to respond, monitor, and investigate these alleged threats.”

Montana

Several schools across Montana were also hit with swatting calls on Dec. 7, including Billings West High School.

In a note, Superintendent Greg Upham released a statement telling parents that the issue was a top priority, expressing concern that they were “rightfully experiencing concern and trepidation regarding the situations and threats our school district has experienced, especially over the course of the last week and half.”

He added that parents questioned whether “the use of metal detectors” could help in response to active shooter calls, but said that after school safety experts had been consulted, “it was reaffirmed that metal detectors are not an effective deterrent to school shootings.”

Washington

On Dec. 9, several high schools received false reports of school shootings, and the schools were placed on lockdown after a 911 caller claimed an armed person was harming people, resulting in multiple casualties, according to the Spokane Police.

Swatting calls put law enforcement on high alert

“They are a considerable disruption not only to the school environment but also community resources like law enforcement and other first responders,” Jaclyn Schildkraut, executive director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium, told Yahoo News.

When an active shooter threat is called in, local authorities’ first priority is stopping the shooter. Law enforcement officials usually respond in teams of four, with rifles, shotguns, handguns and tactical equipment — using a wealth of resources, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

As William Pelfrey, professor of Virginia Commonwealth University, told Yahoo News, “This is a United States-unique problem. And there's a reason for that. It's the proliferation of guns and violence in the United States that far outstrips the rest of the industrialized world. This is not a problem in Germany or Japan or England, because there are virtually no school shootings in those locations.”

Pelfrey said the people responsible for swatting calls are criminals and should be held accountable. But finding the culprits is easier said than done. Schildkraut added, “Stopping swatting is likely going to be a much larger technological challenge and a more widespread and consolidated effort than a single school or district. I think we all hope they will end, because students should not be fearful of going to school, and parents shouldn’t be fearful of sending them there.”

The FBI says the hoax calls are dangerous and asks the public to stay alert as it continues to investigate.

“The FBI takes swatting very seriously, because it puts innocent people at risk. While we have no information to indicate a specific and credible threat, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention,” the agency said in a statement. “We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately.”