SALT LAKE CITY — Hoax threats of a mass shooting and the technology behind it present problems for law enforcement, Utah's Department of Public Safety told members of a newly formed school safety task force.
On Tuesday, the task force was briefed on a series of hoax mass shooting threats made about schools across Utah back in March.
"There’s very good intelligence that hoax came from outside the United States, spoofed off of a line they were able to get access to voice over internet," state public safety commissioner Jess Anderson told FOX 13 News.
Commissioner Anderson said the FBI is now investigating the March 29 hoax threats, which could be linked to similar swatting threats across the nation.
"We are aware of several of these hoaxes that have been conducted around the entire nation. In fact some 300-plus hoaxes that have taken place this year," he said.
The calls began in Cache County and spread across Utah over the course of several hours. The caller, who called non-emergency lines, had an accent and used a voice over internet protocol (VOIP), DPS said. The agency said there were clues it was not a real threat. Law enforcement was able to respond and eventually get ahead of it.
"We sent out an alert to help prevent over-mitigation and this did help with a couple other counties down the line where their school resources officers were actively patrolling the school and making sure nothing was happening. Then they were able to be the only responders in that case because it wasn’t necessary," said Jacob Broadhead with the Statewide Information Analysis Center.
The school safety task force, which is made up of policymakers, police and school officials, said there is much to learn from the incident.
"There’s a lot of good we learned from that and a lot of things to improve on," said Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Ogden, the task force chair.
But on Tuesday, the task force was told there are some schools that still lack basic security.
"We have schools that don’t have working intercom systems, schools that don’t have locks on interior doors. Schools that still have keys and not badge access," said Rhett Larsen, a school safety specialist for the Utah State Board of Education, adding: "We have basic security needs that are much needed in the state."
The task force will tackle policy and security changes, as well as hiring a statewide school safety officer.
"I think that the number one thing on parents’ minds right now when it comes to schools is not how well their students are doing academically, it’s whether they’re safe," said Dr. Patty Norman, the deputy superintendent for student achievement at the Utah State Board of Education.
