BOISE, Idaho — Multiple schools across Southern Idaho today went into lockdown, evacuated students and had police sweep the grounds for bombs and gunmen.
FBI investigators say the fake threats are what's known as swatting.
Swatting is a fake call to 9-1-1 to bring a large number of police officers and first responders to a targeted location.
Our newsroom has a general policy to not report on hoax threats, because police believe reporting on fake threats can actually cause more to be called in. That said, the sheer magnitude of calls and police response has convinced us, it "is" worth reporting today.
This is video from Canyon Ridge High School in Twin Falls shows first responders have no choice but to take threats seriously.
Students and teachers sheltered in place for a time while police and emergency teams searched the school. Once the all clear was given, students were slowly evacuated and allowed to go home for the day.
The threats at Idaho schools seem to be part of coordinated robocalls to 9-1-1 lines across the country.
Swatters disguise themselves using techniques that include caller I.D. spoofing, which means they use software to make it appear they are a local caller, when in fact they could be calling anywhere in the world.
Schools in Oregon were hit yesterday and hundreds of districts across the United States received similar calls today and over the last few months.
Schools and police agencies across the Treasure and Magic Valley were thrown into chaos.
All emphasized the need to ensure public safety but urged people to avoid swamping emergency and police numbers to inquire about these hoax incidents and to review credible news organizations and local government sources instead.
RELATED | Police: Schools in numerous states dealing with hoax threat calls
Some investigators say the calls are coming from outside the country and say the calls are a dangerous waste of resources.
Anybody caught making a threat against a school or other public place is a criminal. The FBI put out a statement saying hoax threats are no joke and a serious federal crime. The person responsible faces five years in prison.
Again police say there are no active credible threats at this time.
However, officials say to remain vigilant and contact the police department if any suspicious activity is observed.
