MANHATTAN (KSNT) – Kansas State University was the target of a hoax emergency call Monday on the first day of class for students.
Director of News and Communications Services at the university Michelle Geering told 27 News that K-State was targeted in a “swatting attack” on Aug. 25. She said the attack temporarily disrupted campus activities in Manhattan.
“Riley County Dispatch received a call on their administrative line of a message stating active violence at Hale Library. Officers immediately responded and determined the call was a hoax and there was no threat or danger. The building is safe, and the Manhattan campus is under normal operations.
This appears to be similar to other swatting reports happening at universities across the country.”
K-State statement excerpt
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K-State issued an alert at 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 25 for an unspecified situation at the university’s Hale Library. K-State asked people to avoid the library, later issuing an all clear notification at 4:38 p.m. stating the library and campus returned to normal operations.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defines swatting as the act of making a malicious hoax call to emergency services to falsely report an emergency situation like a violent crime or an explosive device. Swatting incidents usually result in large law enforcement responses including Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams, bomb squads and other emergency personnel.
“So, we treat all calls that we get as genuine until proven otherwise,” Scott Hajek of the Riley County Police Department said. “But our dispatchers are very well-trained to look for inconsistencies in stories and bizarre statements and things that just aren’t making sense. When a call like this comes out, and that information’s then relayed to our officers who are responding to the call.”
Police in other states have recently responded to similar hoax calls. Law enforcement found no evidence of a shooting following reports at the University of Arkansas on Aug. 25. Villanova University was also hit by false calls regarding a shooter on Aug. 21.
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