THE COMMISSIONER OF THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY SAYS AT LEAST 30 IOWA SCHOOL DISTRICTS RECEIVED SWATTING CALLS THIS (TUESDAY) MORNING, CALLS WHERE SOMEONE FALSELY REPORTS AN ACTIVE SHOOTER THREAT TO GET POLICE TO RESPOND.
D-P-S COMMISSIONER STEPHAN (STEVEN) BAYENS (BAINZ) SAYS THE FIRST CALL CAME INTO CLINTON:
SWAT1 OC……..SWATTING EVENT” :20
CLINTON EVENTUALLY CANCELED CLASSES FOR THE DAY.
BAYENS SAYS THE CALLS CAME IN FROM EASTERN TO CENTRAL IOWA DISTRICTS, THERE WAS A WARNING FOR SCHOOLS AS THE SITUATION PROGRESSED:
SWAT2 OC…..GENESIS OF IT” :13
THE SWATTING CALLS CAME ON A DAY WHEN GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS AND COMMISSIONER BAYENS HAD ALREADY SCHEDULED A NEWS CONFERENCE TO TALK ABOUT A NEW AP DEVELOPED BY THE GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL SAFETY BUREAU.
REYNOLDS SAYS SHE WAS UPDATING ON THE SITUATION RIGHT AWAY AND WAS GLAD THE CALLS WERE NOT REAL.
SWAT3 OC…….WHAT IT WAS” :10
COMMISSIONER BAYENS SAYS IT IS HARD TO TRACK THESE TYPES OF CALLS AND THEY OFTEN COME FROM OUT OF THE STATE OR COUNTRY.
HE SAYS THEY DID FOLLOW THE SAME PATTERN, WITH EVERYTHING THE SAME, THE METHODOLOGY, THE PHONE NUMBER, THE VOICE, THE CONTENT.
NONE OF THE CALLS TOOK PLACE IN OUR AREA OF THE STATE.
