Swatting Calls Being Reported at Schools Across Nebraska

LINCOLN–(KFOR Mar. 2)–Many school districts and law enforcement agencies in Nebraska have been receiving false reports of school shootings.

According to the Nebraska State Patrol, 911 call centers across the state on Thursday took those calls and there is no credible information that any such school shooting has taken place statewide. The Patrol says local agencies were also advised in advance to be prepared in the event those calls would happen.

One false call was reported at one of the Lincoln high schools.  Lincoln Public Schools officials sent an email to parents in the district about the situation.

The State Patrol said earlier this week, the Nebraska Information Analysis Center (NIAC), a division of NSP, provided a bulletin to law enforcement agencies across the state and the Nebraska Department of Education regarding a trend of “swatting” calls that had been reported in several other states this year, including Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Texas, and Vermont. That bulletin advised local agencies to be prepared in the event the calls target Nebraska schools, which happened Thursday.

There have been distinct similarities in the calls received by schools in other states, such as the use of VOIP technology to mask the caller’s identity and location, using or mocking a foreign accent, mispronouncing school or town names, and pretending that they are hiding inside the school themselves.

The Nebraska State Patrol is assisting any local law enforcement agencies and school districts that receive these calls. Anyone with information regarding the origin of these calls is urged to call NIAC at 888-580-6422 or submit an online tip at the NIAC Suspicious Activity Report site https://sars.nebraska.gov.