Lockdown at Pueblo West High wasn't part of rash of 'swatting' calls across Colorado
Pueblo West High School safely resumed classes after a Wednesday lockdown when reports of an armed student were determined by the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office to be "unfounded."
The report at Pueblo West came on the same day that 16 Colorado schools were targeted with false mass shooting and bomb threats. False threats or "swatting" calls were made to middle and high schools in Alamosa, Aspen, Boulder, Brighton, Carbondale, Canon City, Durango, Englewood, Estes Park, Gilpin County and Glenwood Springs, according to Chieftain media partner News Channel 13.
However, the Pueblo West threat was not directly tied to the rash of swatting calls, according to Lynnette Bonfiglio, public information officer at Pueblo County School District 70. The call came through Safe2Tell Colorado, a toll-free service where individuals can anonymously report threats by phone and online.
A similar situation occurred at Pueblo West High School earlier in the school year. At about 5:15 a.m. on Aug. 18, Safe2Tell received an online report of a shooting and bomb threat at the school. As with the threat received Wednesday, district administrators launched an investigation with the sheriff's office and determined the threat to be "noncredible."
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Two days prior to the noncredible Aug. 18 threat to Pueblo West High, an unrelated shooting threat to nearby Skyview Middle School and Sierra Vista Elementary School caused a lockdown, but was determined to be unfounded.
Unlike Wednesday's report of an armed student at Pueblo West High, the swatting calls made to other schools in Colorado did not originate on Safe2Tell Colorado. A Wednesday statement by Denver's FBI office said the swatting calls are currently being investigated in cooperation with federal, state and local law enforcement.
"It is important to note that law enforcement will use all available resources to investigate a threat until we determine whether it is real or not," the statement reads. "Investigating hoax threats drains law enforcement of resources and diverts officers from responding to an actual crisis."
False reports only comprise about 2% of calls to Safe2Tell Colorado, according to its website. While the service is anonymous, a court of law or the Colorado Attorney General may request information in "extreme circumstances" where false reports are made with the intent to "hurt, harass or harm" others.
"Safe2Tell always welcomes reports with the intent to prevent, protect or help made through the program," according to its website.
More information about Safe2Tell Colorado may be found at safe2tell.org.
Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo West High lockdown not part of Colorado 'swatting' calls
