DES MOINES, Iowa — Des Moines Public Schools said Wednesday’s false bomb threat against North High School in Des Moines was an incident of “swatting,” which local officials said highlights a growing trend.
“We have seen a big increase in what people refer to as swatting calls, both at schools and people’s residential homes … they call us up and they say something horrible has happened within that house and they want to get a big intense police response over there,” said Des Moines Police Department’s Sgt. Paul Parizek.
He said the trend of swatting, where someone calls in a false police tip to cause a scare, is unfortunately all too common…