Waterloo Schools, Charles City, Decorah, Mason City, and Clear Lake were among around 20 schools that received swatting calls Tuesday, according to KIMT. Swatting calls are calls that claim that some sort of serious attack, typically a bomb threat, active shooter, or hostage situation, is taking place at a location where that is not the case. They often cause stress and confusion to those that have been “swatted” that are often innocent individuals. The Iowa Department of Public Safety says the first call originated in Clinton County around 8:00 a.m. and the last was received at 10:30 in Creston. Because of communication between law enforcement and the school districts they were able to quickly identify the calls as swatting attempts. The calls were reported to the DPS who are working with the FBI to identify the caller or callers, however they believe the call originated from a single source.
