Two Florida schools placed on lockdown after possible swatting incident

Two schools in Cape Coral, Florida were placed on lockdown and later given the all-clear after a possible swatting incident.

“Earlier this afternoon, we received reports of a threat at Mariner High School,” the Lee County school district wrote on Facebook on Thursday afternoon.

They added that the local police department had “given the all-clear”.

A swatting incident is when someone makes a call to the emergency services and makes a false report to bring a large number of law enforcement officers to a certain area.

“There are no injuries and the threat is being considered a possible swatting call,” the school district said, adding that the police presence in the area will be “increased” as the investigation continues.

Drivers were advised to find alternative routes unless they needed to be in the area and family members were told that some buses would be late because of the spike in traffic.

Earlier on Thursday, Mariner High School and Mariner Middle School saw a large police presence after the threat to the high school was reported.

Just before 2pm on Thursday, the school district tweeted that “we have received reports of a threat at Mariner High School. Police are on scene. Students and staff have been placed on a lockdown and we are working with local authorities. Additional details will follow. Mariner Middle has also been placed on a lockdown as a precaution”.

Police arrived at the high school responding to a reported threat of an active shooter.

The school is located on the western coast of southern Florida, west of Fort Myers, and has students from Cape Coral, as well as nearby villages on Pine Island and North Fort Myers, according to WINK News.

The outlet reported that there was a similar swatting incident at South Fort Myers High School in September.

The term “swatting” derives from the name of the SWAT team law enforcement unit of armed officers using tactical gear and heavier weaponry compared to regular officers.

“Through the use of deceptive means such as Caller ID spoofing technology, individuals placing the call make it appear as though the threats or emergency reports are coming from the victim’s phone,” the Notre Dame Law Review wrote in 2015. “The authorities respond with weapons drawn, expecting a high-risk incident, thereby creating a dangerous situation for the unsuspecting swatting victim and police alike.”

The Review noted that swatting first came to the attention of the FBI in 2008 and has featured “particularly in the realm of online gaming and in use against Hollywood celebrities”.

More recently, it has been used against schools and some politicians, with Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene claiming to have been the victim of swatting on several occasions.

“Last night, I was swatted just after 1 am. I can’t express enough gratitude to my local law enforcement here in Rome, Floyd County,” Ms Greene tweeted on the morning of 24 August.

“While I don’t know the story, I was a victim of this twice in 2012. It’s extremely dangerous and whoever did this, if intentional, should be prosecuted,” Adam Kinzinger, an outgoing GOP representative, tweeted in response.

The Independent reported late last month that Ms Greene said she had been swatted for a sixth time in a single week.