On Thursday, March 3, the Red River Regional Dispatch Center received calls at approximately 9:35 a.m. and 9:59 a.m. indicating active shooter situations were occurring at area schools, including Ben Franklin Middle School and North High School. A School Resource Officer (SRO) assigned to the schools and additional patrol personnel quickly responded and after thorough investigation deemed the threat to be a hoax that originated from outside the region.
These calls have been determined to be part of what is occurring around the nation, which is called “swatting.” Swatting is when someone reports a fake emergency to authorities. Similar threats have been made throughout the region and across the nation this academic year.
“Although the threats made today were deemed not credible, situations such as these -- along with all other threats reported to the FPD -- are taken very seriously and investigated with extreme diligence. The FPD has a great working relationship with the Fargo Public Schools which allowed us to communicate the importance of locking down all schools in the district to ensure student safety. After a thorough investigation, we were able to very quickly identify these threats as a hoax,” remarked Neighborhood Services Lt. Bill Ahlfeldt.
The Fargo Police Department has a team of seven SROs assigned to Fargo Public School District’s middle schools and high schools. SROs serve two primary functions: school safety and building rapport between police and youth. In addition to being law enforcement officers, SROs also serve as informal counselors, mentors and teachers. Through a partnership with Fargo Public Schools, the SROs continue to ensure campuses are a safe place for all.
A full investigation will be completed to see if it can be determined who called in these hoaxes. While there is no threat to the schools, FPD is providing additional presence near schools today.