Police presence at Lausanne Collegiate School Friday morning is believed to be the result of “swatting,” school officials said in an email obtained by the Flyer.
“Swatting is defined as a false report of an ongoing emergency or threat of violence intended to prompt an immediate tactical law enforcement response,” the United States Department of Education said. “Swatting is not a new threat; it has evolved over the last decade or so and includes a range of tactics and techniques used to cause false public alarm and divert law enforcement resources to a hoax threat.”
Security at Lausanne said these calls are meant to incite “fear and panic in a population.”
“While reports like this are concerning, police respond quickly and appropriately, utilizing their growing understanding of swatting incidents,” the school said in a statement.
Officials said this morning the Office of Veterans Affairs received a call inferring that a male was “contemplating committing an act of self harm.” They added that the school was pinged as the location of the call, even though the male said “they were ‘at home.’”
Police were sent to the school and determined there was no threat on campus. Law enforcement then traced the call and number to a female at a school in South Memphis. A similar situation happened at White Station High School on Thursday.
Regarding the incident, Memphis Shelby County Schools (MSCS) said the call was deemed to not be an immediate threat.
