CALDWELL, ID – There have been several spoof calls into schools in Idaho over the course of this morning alleging that school attacks have taken place. In one case, students were evacuated from Canyon Ridge High School in Twin Falls this morning after police received a report of an active shooter as part of a “swatting hoax.”
“The Twin Falls Police Department received a report that there was an active shooter situation at Canyon Ridge High School. The administrative team and local law enforcement immediately responded and searched the spaces that had been indicated in the tip. Students were evacuated from the building and at this point, no firearm, student injury, or threat [has] been confirmed. Additionally, all other TFSD buildings went into a soft lockdown as a precautionary measure,” the school says on its website.
Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene was also a victim.
In addition, Nampa Police Department Dispatch received a call today with a threat to Columbia High School.
“Although the threat was not deemed credible, Columbia High School was initially placed on hall check and under the recommendation from the Nampa Police Department,” the Nampa School District says on its Twitter.
“No threat was located and the incident appears to be part of the regional hoax,” the Nampa Police Department says on its Twitter.
“There was an immediate and robust response by law enforcement in each of these areas, and several schools [had] gone into lockdown as a precaution. At this time, it appears that this is a hoax and no verified attacks or injuries have been discovered,” according to Canyon County Public Information Officer Joe Decker.
Law enforcement is continuing to monitor the situation and will provide updates as they become available.
“It should be noted that in the past week, similar instances involving hoax calls into schools have occurred in Oregon, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada,” Decker adds. There are also reports of hoax calls in Wisconsin, Georgia, Vermont, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and other regions over the past several months.
Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield released a statement today after threats of violence were made toward the Idaho schools this morning.
“I am aware that several schools were impacted today by threats of violence, and that the threats do not appear to be valid. State Department of Education staff have been in touch with districts and will continue to stay apprised of the situation. I’m thankful for the quick action from school administrators and law enforcement to ensure the safety of students in the affected schools,” Critchfield says.
Swatting is not a new phenomenon – the Federal Bureau of Investigation posted about it in 2008. At the time, the agency said these calls are dangerous to first responders and to the victims.
“The callers often tell tales of hostages about to be executed or bombs about to go off. The community is placed in danger as responders rush to the scene, taking them away from real emergencies. And the officers are placed in danger as unsuspecting residents may try to defend themselves,” the FBI said.
The FBI continues to work with the victims of swatting across the nation. If you receive a swatting threat or information that an individual is planning to engage in swatting, report it to local law enforcement and the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI immediately.
