Lexington Police Department speaks out on swatting call protocols

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) –An uptick in recent swatting calls or fake threats at schools in the area are keeping students, staff and parents on high alert.
Nicholasville Police say the most recent one at East Jessamine High School was deemed to be not credible.
Sergeant Guy Miller with the Lexington Police Department says all threats must be taken seriously until proven otherwise.

So how do police departments respond to these calls?

“Swatting, we refer to it in law enforcement as falsely reporting an incident,” says Sgt. Miller with the Lexington Police Department.

“Our officers have to respond accordingly to the information that they have, and that could be additional resources, manpower vehicles that we have at our disposal to help us get through whatever that information is,” added Miller.

Sgt. Miller says the added element of social media can add another layer into the investigation and oftentimes further complicate things.

“By sharing it, sharing it with your community letting other parents and stuff know, I think everybody wants to know if their kids or loved ones are okay, but make sure we law enforcement knows it as well,” he says.

Miller adds that different agencies respond in their own way.

“There’s multiple entities of law enforcement inside Fayette County, so depending on where it is, that agency may be responsible, but the Lexington Police Department has resources and personnel that are ready to help out when necessary,” added Miller.

No matter the agency, Sergeant Miller, reminding the public, “falsely reporting an incident is a felony when there’s an emergency response to that incident.”

Miller also says this can be dangerous because it can prevent officers from responding to other emergencies.