'Swatting' call temporarily locks down Austin elementary school — what is 'swatting'
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AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Midday Thursday, an east Austin elementary school was placed on a temporary lockdown after a "swatting" call came in at the school's address.
The Austin Independent School District tweeted at 12:51 p.m. that Austin ISD Police placed Norman-Sims Elementary school on a brief lockdown while investigating a possible "swatting" situation.
Police found no danger to the campus, and the lockdown was lifted after about ten minutes.
What is "swatting"?
So what is a "swatting" call?
The Associated Press reported that the goal of these types of false threats is to get authorities, particularly a SWAT team, to respond to a certain address. AP said also that some of the cases use caller ID spoofing to disguise their number.
They've been happening all over the country, and an FBI official believes they may be coming from outside of the country, according to AP's report.
Computer-generated calls on Wednesday made false claims about active shooters at schools in Pennsylvania, and on Tuesday, nearly 30 Massachusetts schools received fake threats, AP said.
These false threats could bring extra stress and anxiety to students, families, school staff, and police departments after several mass school shootings have tragically ended lives in recent history in the U.S.
AISD said in its tweet that there was no danger to the campus, and all students and staff are safe.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.