State, FBI investigate dozens of swatting incidents

PLATTSBURGH | Calls made to local police departments around the region last week reported an active shooter in area schools. None of the reports proved true. But the police response was swift, fierce and fully armed. Schools went into lockdown procedures. Students and their teachers huddled behind closed, locked doors and waited, terrified, until police, sheriff departments, border agents and state police troopers checked and cleared every building. The false reports were made Thursday morning. It happened around 9:30 a.m. in Potsdam and Canton. Calls were made to schools in Malone, Gouverneur, Massena and to Plattsburgh City School District. The calls all had similar content: a shooter with a weapon was in a school. Schools surrounding affected districts went into immediate Lock Out, including Saranac. Several area childcare centers closed up and locked the doors. Texts shared on social media from frightened students to their parents were heartbreaking. A deadly school shooting in Nashville, Tenn. weighed heavily on people's minds. "The students are scared to pieces!!! My granddaughter (10th grade) says she has never been so scared and trying to console some of the others in her class at the moment," one grandparent wrote on social media. Parents went to retrieve students, some terrified and shaking. After-school activities were canceled. Plattsburgh City Schools activated their counseling outreach on Friday, the following day. New York's vast teachers' union, New York State Unified Teachers (NYSUT), called for action. "As our nation reels and mourns schoolchildren lost in yet another mass shooting, today's incidents are a new low in callousness and depravity," the union said in a statement. "These swatting attacks endanger our brave members of law enforcement, terrorize children, educators and parents, and waste valuable resources. We know the FBI and local law enforcement are doing everything they can to catch these perpetrators, and we look forward to the day when they are brought to justice." COMPUTERIZED CALLS Similar false reports were made March 30 just before 9 a.m. to City of Albany Police, alleging a shooter in Albany City School District. The swatting pattern apparently moved north from there. "Schools in several other states also have experienced these "swatting" incidents – efforts by an individual or organization to make computerized phone calls to law enforcement officials to falsely report security threats," Albany interim superintendent John Yagielski told parents in a statement. And on Friday, March 31, Gov. Kathy Hochul met with State Police and State Education Department leaders to put "swatting" front and center. Hochul told reporters after the session that these calls are likely coming from outside the United States. Some 36 schools in New York were affected by false reports last Thursday, Gov. Hochul said. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded and cleared 226 school buildings that day. In Plattsburgh, Police Chief Bud York said they rolled out a massive response team within seconds. "All the police agencies in the area, including federal officials, responded," he said. Officers searched and swept the buildings. Finding no threat, they called all clear. "We have no way to know if it's true until you do go," Chief York said. "We did clear the schools and made sure it was safe. The kids did great and the teachers and administrators were great. Fortunately, nobody was hurt." But the fear and disruption was very real. Hochul said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is working with state agencies to track the perpetrators. "I want to reassure parents that the State of New York takes this very seriously. It is incredibly, incredibly stressful on our families at this time. And there's nothing we want more than to restore some sense of common normalcy for our kids who've been through so much over the last few years." Swatting is phenomenally disruptive, she said. "It causes trauma among teachers and children and parents. It causes chaos, especially this week after what the nation had to witness - another mass shooting in a children's school in Nashville." New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli said providing a safe and secure learning environment for children is their number one priority. "Rest assured, we proactively work with our agency partners on the School Safety Improvement Team as well as our local law enforcement partners to support their efforts, and we will continue to do so. Let me be clear, swatting incidents such as this, which disrupt our schools and divert valuable state resources, will not be tolerated and we are committed to finding those responsible." PREPAREDNESS Gov. Hochul urged state agencies to double down on preparedness and strengthen communication to ensure that children remain safe in schools. She's asked that all school districts and local police have the latest guidance on school safety protocols. New York has heightened security around schools, she said. "State and local law enforcement are conducting increased monitoring to make sure that all of our students are safe, and our first responders are always prepared in the event of an emergency. While these false threats of violence occur across the country, New York is taking proactive steps so that they do not become a reality," the governor said. New York State Education Department Commissioner Dr. Betty A. Rosa called every threat to school communities, whether founded or unfounded, a deterrent to learning and mental health. "Proactive and ongoing communication with schools and providing supports to keep school safety plans up-to-date is critical to our mission," Rosa said. "But in this time of heightened anxiety related to school safety, it is particularly important to facilitate a safe and calm culture of preparedness, as well as clear communication between law enforcement and school officials."

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State, FBI investigate dozens of swatting incidents

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