Swatting calls impact ND schools, including Red River (Update)

Update 2:30 PM:

Grand Forks Red River High School briefly went into lockdown this (Thu) morning because of a “swatting” call – a phony report of an active shooter.

Associate superintendent Catherine Gillach said that Grand Forks Police received a call around 10:00 AM of a threat in the school’s parking lot. Gillach said police alerted the school, which went into lockdown.

She said students were secured in the classroom until police determined there was no credible threat.

“The whole thing lasted about 15 minutes or less,” Gillach said.

Gillach says Red River also received a swatting call last fall, which led to a lockdown, but the threat proved to be bogus.

Several other North Dakota cities received school “swatting” calls today (Thu)… including Fargo, Jamestown, Bismarck, Mandan and Minot. All proved to be unfounded.

Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has been investigating at least nine swatting calls that were made Monday and Tuesday. Schools in Crookston and Bemidji were among those targeted.

Though the calls may be fake, they are taken seriously by law enforcement.

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Original story:

Swatting calls are making the rounds again impacting North Dakota schools.

Fargo police say they received two such calls at 9:35 and 9:59 a.m. indicating active shooter situations were taking place at Ben Franklin Middle and North High School.

Although taken seriously by law enforcement the bogus calls have been determined to be part of a nationwide pattern of threats not deemed credible.

The Grand Forks Police Department received a similar call just after 10:00 a.m. this morning.

The Bismarck P-D also received a fake call in regards to the high school – there was no active shooter threat.