NEWS

Multiple law enforcement agencies tackle 'swatting' calls at schools across state Thursday

Police officers and emergency responders rushed to Durant High School late Thursday morning after receiving what turned out to be a bogus phone call of an active shooter at the school.

Law enforcement agencies in various cities throughout Oklahoma scrambled Thursday morning after receiving multiple bogus calls of active shooter school threats around the same time.

Officials locked down several schools statewide as the agencies searched the buildings and worked to verify the threats. No actual threats were found, and law enforcement agents believe the schools only fell victim to a nationwide trend of harassment that experts call "swatting."

"Swatting" is making a hoax call to law enforcement to deliberately provoke a large police or SWAT team response. Sometimes, an individual may do it to single out someone specific, but the calls can also be done in waves to seemingly random targets.

What Oklahoma schools were targeted by the swatting calls?

School districts in Antlers, Ardmore, Broken Bow, Durant, Enid, Medford, Perry, Stillwater and Tulsa (and possibly several others) were targeted by the bogus "swatting" calls Thursday. Trooper Eric Foster with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said the agency responded to multiple schools throughout the state and confirmed that each call was a hoax.

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Antlers High School secured

OHP Trooper Foster said police in the city of Antlers had received a call of an intruder at Antlers High School. According to KDOE 102.3, a local radio station, "local law enforcement secured the high school and no threat was present" by Thursday afternoon.

Ardmore city schools cleared by police

An Ardmore Police Department vehicle is shown this week.

Around 11 a.m. Thursday, dispatchers with the city of Ardmore Police Department also received an automated phone call reporting an active shooter at Ardmore High School, according to a statement from police. Officers responded to the school and searched the area, but officers "cleared" the school shortly before noon. The department said it "would continue their presence" at the school through the day.

Broken Bow High School also cleared by police

Sgt. Sterling Harbour with the Broken Bow Police Department said a call came in at 11:30 a.m., reporting an armed intruder at Broken Bow High School. Law enforcement responded to the site but found no suspect.

"We did our protocol and went ahead and cleared the school," Harbour said. "It was about 12:30 by the time they finished everything. Nobody was actually in danger."

Durant High School threat ruled a hoax by local police

The Durant Police Department received a call about an active shooter at Durant High School around 11:15 a.m. Police responded to the school "in under a minute," according to officials, but none of the administration or staff at the school had received a call of the threat.

By noon, police had concluded a search of the school and also found the threat to be a hoax, but closed the school to the public for some time Thursday.

Enid High School students safe, police say

A large Enid Police Department presence also responded to a phone threat at Enid High School early Thursday.

"All students are safe and the school is in lockdown," the Enid Police Department said in a statement on Twitter shortly after 11:10 a.m. Thursday. "No legitamite [sic] threat has been identified and it is believed to be a false call."

In the statement, Enid police told parents there was "no need to come to the school" at the time. By 12:30 p.m., officers at Enid High School had finished their search of the premises and determined that no threat existed.

"All students and staff are safe," the police department tweeted midday Thursday. "No shooting occurred and no one is injured."

Medford Public Schools locked down Thursday but later cleared

The Grant County Sheriff's Office also received a call around 11 a.m. of an active shooter at Medford School. According to Tyler Locke, the school's superintendent, this threat was also a hoax.

"We took this as a serious threat and went into lockdown as soon as officer Sinor received the call," Locke said shortly before 11:45 a.m. Thursday. "Administration and officer Sinor cleared the building and Grant County provided support. Student safety is our top priority."

Perry Junior High School faced no real threat

Security at Perry Junior High School also was targeted by a "swatting" call around 10:30 a.m. Thursday. School resource officer Lt. O'Dell "advised there was no teacher by the name the caller had given," officers with the Perry Police Department said midday Thursday.

But police responded within minutes to the campus and found no threat to the students at any of the Perry School campuses, officials said. Police in Perry announced they were cooperating with other agencies to help identify the caller.

Stillwater Junior High School confirmed no shooter

Around 10:16 a.m., Stillwater police also received a call of an armed intruder at Stillwater Junior High. A school resource officer onsite confirmed no active shooter was actually at the school, officials said.

Local police, along with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Oklahoma State University Police Department and Payne County Sheriff's Office, responded and secured the school. Stillwater Police Chief Jeff Watts confirmed the phone call was a hoax.

“We take all threats of violence against our schools seriously," Watts said. "I am very proud of the coordinated response from the Stillwater Police Department and our partnering agencies. We remain vigilant and prepared to respond to any incidents that threaten the safety of our community."

Tulsa police also confirm no danger to local students Thursday

Drew Druzynski, media relations manager at Tulsa Public Schools, said a fraudulent call reporting a shooting at Rogers College Middle and High School was also made to the Tulsa Police Department Thursday morning. But local police conducted a full sweep, she said, and confirmed that this was a false report.

"At no time were any students in danger," Druzynski said in an email. "We are grateful to our law enforcement partners for responding so quickly and so thoroughly to keep our students safe. We will continue to support the Tulsa Police Department in any way that we can as they investigate this incident."

How have federal agencies responded to the swatting trend?

The "swatting" phone calls were part of a nationwide trend Thursday that had parents, students, teachers and law enforcement on edge throughout the United States.

The FBI issued an alert Thursday, saying they were working with multiple partner agencies in an attempt to identify the source of the hoax threats.

"It is important to note that law enforcement will use all available resources to investigate a school threat until we determine whether it is real or not," the FBI said in a statement. "Investigating hoax threats drains law enforcement resources and diverts us from responding to an actual crisis. Hoax threats can shut down schools, cause undue stress and fear to the public, and cost taxpayers money."

With the multi-agency, multi-state investigation in its early stages, the FBI urged the public to stay vigilant and to report any and all suspicious activity immediately to local agencies.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol issued its own statement Thursday, highlighting the quick response times of local and statewide police to each school.

"This means no matter where the threat happens, all law enforcement in the area (police, sheriff’s deputies, troopers, etc.) will respond in the same manner and be able to coordinate seamlessly to control active shooter situations quickly and effectively," the agency said. "Even off-duty troopers responded to several of the calls today. We are grateful no active threat was discovered today and want parents and community members to rest assured all threats are taken seriously. We encourage everyone to report any suspicious activity to their local law enforcement agency."