School district assesses ‘swatting’ response

The Churchill County School District is reviewing its response to a lockdown Feb. 16 after a caller phoned in a threat of a possible shooter at the high school.

The school district implemented lockdowns at all of its schools, and officers from the Fallon Police Department and Churchill County Sheriff’s Office responded to clear each campus.

Calls were made to other school districts around the state. “Swatting” involves a person calling in an emergency to police to solicit a response against an innocent target.

Hours after the Churchill County threat, the dispatch center in Elko County received a swatting call about a possible threat at Elko High School. Elko police found no threat and had the high school cleared in an hour.

The FBI is now involved with the number of swatting calls made around Nevada and is working with local law enforcement agencies to identify the source of the hoax threats.

“Due to the ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide more details,” the FBI said in a media release last week. “However, it is important to note that law enforcement is going to use all available resources to investigate a school threat until we determine whether it is real or not. Investigating hoax threats drains law enforcement resources and diverts us from responding to an actual crisis.”

Derild Parsons, director of Learning and Curriculum, said police officers concentrated first on the high school since it’s an open campus and once the threat was vetted, the lockdown was removed immediately.

“We thank law enforcement, and their response was fast and immediate,” Parsons said. “They took the threat very seriously which we appreciate. We have to take all threats seriously. Safety is our first priority.”

Parsons said one of the keys to the fast response involved the student resource officers who are the eyes and ears on the ground.

“They help in preventing things from happening because of their presence there, and they build relationships with the kids. They keep the students.”

Parsons said SROs coordinate immediate responses where there’s a threat. After the threat was received on Thursday, Parsons said both police officers and CCSO deputies were at the schools within minutes. He said communication is critical between the school district and law enforcement agencies.

Once law enforcement officers arrived on the campuses, specifically at the high school, the school district said all doors were secured and no one was allowed to leave or enter the buildings.

FPD Capt. John Riley said the police response occurred in 18 seconds due to the SROs. Riley said the streets were blocked off and officers checked the perimeter and vehicles.

“We take seriously all reports such as this,” Riley said.

In addition to the police department and CCSO responding to the threat, Riley said additional assistance was provided by the Nevada State Police, a local task force and Banner Churchill's Emergency Medical Services.

Riley said Oasis Academy was on a voluntary lockdown. Logos Christian Academy on Sheckler Road was also on lockdown.

“Hoax threats can shut down schools, cause undue stress and fear to the public, and cost taxpayers a lot of money,” the FBI said a media release. “We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and individuals to law enforcement immediately.”

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford also weighed in.

“The Office of the Attorney General will support law enforcement agencies in whatever way they need as they respond to these incidents,” he said.

Riley also dispelled the rumors that swirled around the incident. He said no shots were fired and no students were arrested. He said one student was questioned after police received an anonymous tip.

Riley, however, said he had concerns with the high-school students whipping out their phones and then shooting video of the officers’ movements. Consequently, videos were posted on social media in live time.

“It’s a danger giving away positions,” Riley pointed out.

The FPD captain also said a downfall of the excessive phone usage affected the bandwidth and with police using phones for more direct, secured communications. Parsons agreed.

“The student cellphone use interfered with the band width with the video posting and calls,” he said.

Parsons illustrated his point when school dismisses on a normal day.

“It takes three to four times to make a successful call,” he said.

Parsons said the school district has begun reviewing its procedures and responses after last week’s swatting call. He said the district will assess what it did correctly and what part of the response needs improvement.

“Each school teams will be looking to see if the plan was followed and what changes can be made in the plan to improve it,” Parsons said. “All that will be used to modify the plans to ensure the plans were implemented fully.”