LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – On May 7, the 10/11 news team covered breaking news in Seward when the Walmart had received a threat just before 6 p.m. and began evacuating customers. Our cameras captured the evacuation while I contacted the Seward Police Department for information. At 10:42 p.m., Police Chief Bryan Peters returned my call and confirmed the incident was likely a swatting call that prompted responses from Seward Police, Seward County Sheriff’s Office and the bomb dog crew from Lincoln Police. He agreed to do an interview that evening.
“I think it’s important for the community to realize that these swatting events are becoming more and more frequent, and it’s not a joke,” Chief Peters told 10/11 three weeks later. “We treat them very seriously.”
Three Seward officers and a supervisor (out of a force of 12) spent three hours clearing the scene: surveying the perimeter, clearing the inside of the store, and later running a bomb dog through to double check. Having those four officers there cost Seward taxpayers $500, just in salary…