Chippewa Falls School District 1 of multiple school districts with swatting incidents Wednesday

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (WEAU) - Chippewa Falls School District is one of a number of school districts dealing with a swatting incident Wednesday morning.

According to Chippewa Falls Police, a call came in at 9:25 a.m. Wednesday morning. The caller was a man with a heavy accent. He said there was a gunman at the high school. He did not designate a specific high school. Chippewa Falls Police responded and determined by 10:00 a.m. that there was no threat to any of the schools in the District.

Two weeks ago a juvenile was identified in a swatting incident at Chippewa Falls Schools.

Superintendent, Jeff Holmes, gave a statement Wednesday.

Swatting incidents continue in the Chippewa Falls Community and other surrounding communities.
Today there were prank calls (swatting) to 911, with one of those being a direct threat to CFAUSD. This type of behavior is highly inappropriate, dangerous, and can cause significant harm and trauma to the individuals involved, including students, families, school staff, and law enforcement.
Prank phone calls that involve fake emergencies, such as active shooter incidents, are a form of “swatting,” which involves making false report to law enforcement with the intention of getting a SWATteam or other law enforcement response to the location of the false report. Swatting is illegal and can result in serious consequences, including criminal charges and significant fines.
The Chippewa Falls Police Department has searched district facilities and determined that there is no threat at this time.
Superintendent, Jeff Holmes

Additionally, a media release from the Rice Lake Police Department states on Wednesday around 9:04 a.m. authorities received a report of an active shooter at the Rice Lake Middle School. Multiple officers from several jurisdictions responded. The Rice Lake Middle School went into lockdown per their protocol. The building was searched, and no threat or injured people were found. The call was a “swatting” call.

Our sister stations, KBJR and WSAW, also report of swatting incidents occurring in Spooner, Superior, and Wausau Wednesday.

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