Palouse school victim of swatting

PALOUSE — The Palouse school administration received a report of an alleged threat Tuesday, Sept. 26, placing all buildings in a modified lockdown while Palouse Police Officer Joel Anderson canvassed the building.

In his report at the Palouse City Council meeting Tuesday night, Anderson said he received a call from the principal at 12:06 p.m.

Anderson said he arrived in 45 seconds and determined that the possible swatting call came from a number in Minneapolis.

“I called four times,” Anderson said, reporting that he got a computer-generated voice each time indicating a swatting call.

Anderson said that the school was out of lockdown in 18 minutes and mentioned the report of two active shooters occurring at noon at the Moscow High School campus.

Anderson further said that he had increased his patrol hours at the school to four hours.

Moscow Police Officers reported that the threat was not credible.

Reports say that swatting is a false report of an ongoing emergency or threat of violence intended to prompt an immediate tactical law enforcement response.

Anderson further mentioned in the Tuesday, Sept. 26, Council meeting, having talked with the Palouse School Board on Tuesday, Sept. 12, about safer access and increasing the number of cameras at the school.