From Sidney to Lincoln, police have responded to swatting calls at multiple schools across the state this year.
Sidney police responded to calls on Feb. 26 and March 4. Lincoln police responded to a call on May 5 at Calvert Elementary. Central Elementary in Kearney, Alliance High School and North Platte High School were the most recent recipients of swatting calls this week.
There also was a swatting call at the Walmart in Hastings earlier this month.
The FBI defines swatting as a tactic used to call in false reports to emergency responders.
Monday’s call at North Platte High School was the second one this year, district spokesman Brandon Petersen said.
“It was like, kind of like a robot-type voice with it, if that makes sense, and was saying that there was a threat outside of the school building, and so like immediately, obviously, law enforcement was notified,” Petersen said.
Petersen said police were able to complete a search in under half an hour while holding students in a secure status in classrooms.
The first swatting call to NPHS this year was different. The call indicated a threat inside of the building, which resulted in an evacuation, rather than a secure status.
Petersen said the calls don’t happen a lot, but that they do happen in spurts across the state.
“We keep in pretty good contact with other school districts, communication directors also,” he said. “If somebody gets one, it's like, hey, keep your eyes open; you might be getting one of these calls.”
“Although it's kind of scary when it happens, just through the efforts of, you know, families, students, teachers and administration and law enforcement, they make it go real well, you know, to where there's as little disruption as possible,” Petersen said.
The Nebraska Legislature last month passed a bill (LB935) that contains provisions that for the first time make swatting a specific crime under state law.