Kentucky State Police Are Investigating Multiple School Bomb Threats

In the wake of bomb threats received at several zoos across the United States, the Kentucky State Police are investigating multiple reports of bomb threats at schools across the Commonwealth.

Kentucky School Bomb Threats

The first thing we need to understand is that, at present, the Kentucky State Police don't believe any of these bomb threats are credible. They posted an update about the threats as we were learning that, right here in my hometown, Owensboro High School received a bomb threat Tuesday morning. The school was cleared with the help of the K9 Unit, and students have been allowed back in the building.

Anderson County and Johnson Central High Schools are also among those reporting bomb threats Tuesday morning. According to Kentucky State Trooper Corey King, Shelby County also received a bomb threat today.

KSP believes the threats could be linked to a robocalling campaign.

Swatting

While most bomb threats turn out to be hoaxes, they are always illegal. It's a practice called "swatting," a term with which I became familiar only recently. However, it dates back to 2008, and it's so-named because the hoax perpetrator's aim when calling 9-1-1 to report the erroneous threat is elicit a big police response usually involving the SWAT team.

According to the FBI, "swatters" are often involved in other cybercrimes and are tracked via the agency's national database.

Swatting can lead to panic, and it also drains resources. Additionally and for obvious reasons, the practice also eats up police agencies' time. It's considered a felony and can lead to up to five years in prison, much more if an injury or death occurs as a result of the hoax.

Follow the Kentucky State Police on Facebook for more updates.