Several Georgia counties received false claims Wednesday about active school shooters, state officials said.
It’s become a disturbing national trend, experts say.
Thirty-four states and Washington, D.C., have received such false claims, also known as “swatting,” since early September, according to a National Association of School Resource Officers review of news coverage.
“These hoaxes are far from harmless,” the association said via email Wednesday afternoon to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “They can exacerbate mental health issues already more prevalent because of the pandemic. They tie up valuable law enforcement resources. And they can even cause injury.”
Channel 2 Action News reported in September a Riverdale police officer crashed his vehicle headed to a reported active shooter threat at a Clayton County middle school that happened to be false.
Alabama’s state school superintendent said several high schools received false active shooter reports Tuesday. At least five Washington schools received similar hoaxes on Monday, according to news reports in that state.
In Georgia, most of the false threats occurred at schools near the coast.
Gov. Brian Kemp released a statement Wednesday condemning the swatting incidents.
“Rest assured, for the criminals who orchestrated these hoaxes, we will go after them with every single resource available,” Kemp said. “The FBI is actively investigating these acts of domestic terrorism, and we will continue to diligently work with them to see these culprits are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
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