Columbus, NE- On Friday, December 6, 2024 at 2:08 pm the Columbus Police Department responded to a hotline call that made a threat on Columbus High School and responded appropriately. CHS placed the building in a lockdown to ensure the safety of its students and staff. Simultaneously, Columbus Public Schools placed Lost Creek Elementary and Columbus Middle School in secure. After further investigation by CPD, it appears several schools around the country received similar threats, and CPD believes it was a “swatting” attempt. All schools were removed from lockdown and secure at approximately 2:35 pm.
The Columbus Police Department and Columbus Public Schools take every threat seriously.
What is swatting?
Swatting is making malicious hoax calls to emergency services to falsely report an ongoing emergency such as a violent crime or explosive device at a certain location. The intent is to cause large-scale deployment of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams, bomb squads, and other police resources. Individuals and institutions are often unaware of the emergency response, causing confusion, frustration, and potential use of force that may result in harm for the target and responding officials.
Resource: https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2024-10/24_0930_opa_swatting-hoax-threats-final.pdf