The U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Justice (DOJ) have issued joint guidance to educational institutions in response to recent swatting incidents across the country. The guidance applies to colleges and universities as well as state and local educational agencies and is intended to help institutions prepare for and respond appropriately to anonymous threats.
Swatting is a form of harassment in which someone falsely reports a serious emergency to trigger a police or emergency response at another person’s or organization’s location. Threats may involve claims of an active shooter, bomb threat, hostage situation, or other serious emergency. According to the guidance, these threats often occur in clusters and have increasingly targeted schools and other public institutions.
Preparing Before an Incident
ED and DOJ encourage institutions to have procedures in place before a swatting incident occurs. Institutions should consider:
- Educating faculty, staff, and administrators about swatting and procedures for reporting threats.
- Establishing clear coordination and communication procedures among institutional officials, campus security, and local law enforcement.
- Creating a multidisciplinary threat assessment team to help evaluate anonymous threats.
- Conducting tabletop exercises to familiarize leadership with emergency decision making and threat assessment.
- Reviewing emergency communication protocols and establishing procedures specifically addressing swatting incidents.
- Designating officials responsible for campus communications, law enforcement notification, and threat evaluation.
- Training staff who may receive threats on how to gather additional information, assist in identifying anonymous reporters, and use appropriate de-escalation strategies.
Institutions should also ensure their procedures do not result in a legitimate threat being incorrectly dismissed as a swatting attempt.
Responding to a Threat
ED and DOJ emphasize that all threats should be treated as credible when received. The immediate priority should be protecting students, faculty, and staff while officials work with law enforcement to determine whether the threat is legitimate or a hoax.
Institutions should be prepared to:
- Activate existing emergency procedures, including student alerts, community notifications, and shelter-in-place instructions when appropriate.
- Notify law enforcement and maintain communication with emergency services throughout the incident.
- Share relevant facts with law enforcement to help assess the nature and credibility of the threat.
- Gather additional information when possible. For telephone threats, trained personnel may attempt to keep the caller on the line while coordinating with law enforcement. Similar procedures should be established for threats received through social media or other digital channels.
- Encourage a “Report, Don’t Repost” approach when threats are circulating on social media to help control the spread of information and protect the integrity of the threat assessment or investigation.
For colleges and universities, the guidance also notes that emergency notifications are already required in certain emergency situations under the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act and that existing notification procedures may be adapted when responding to swatting incidents. Institutions may also need to consider whether an incident must be reflected in Annual Security Report statistics.
Federal Resources and Training
The guidance identifies several federal resources institutions can use to strengthen preparedness and response efforts, including resources from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, DOJ, and ED.
- First Responder Toolbox (Department of Homeland Security (DHS): This resource provides helpful tips and information for those who may receive anonymized threats or swatting calls. Within the First Responder Toolbox, DHS provides additional resources for institutions, including guides regarding violence prevention, resources for schools to use to raise public awareness of instances of violence, terrorism, or swatting, and fact sheets to assist schools in developing and sustaining productive relationships with law enforcement and community stakeholders. The Toolbox also provides substantial resources from agencies across the federal government to help emergency responders address potential swatting incidents.
- Resources for Swatting and Hoax Threats (DHS): The resources in this link assist those facing swatting calls and hoax threats with proactive steps to take to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a related incident. Throughout the country, schools, hospitals, businesses, places of worship, non-governmental organizations, and individuals such as U.S. government officials, journalists, celebrities, online gamers, and many others have increasingly been victims of swatting calls and hoax threats, which cause fear and potentially dangerous interactions with law enforcement. DHS offers this set of resources to prepare a wide range of potential victims to respond to such threats.
- Responding to and Investigating Bomb Threats and Swatting Hoaxes (FBI): This is a free 90-minute course that provides information on patterns, statistics, and best practices. This course is best suited for dispatchers, law enforcement, school administrators, call takers, and decision makers. Interested parties can reach out to the FBI at FBIBostonJTTF@fbi.gov to ask about participation in these sessions.
- Swatting: Awareness for Law Enforcement (DHS): This video provides swatting information tailored for all law enforcement personnel, both sworn and non-sworn, and will be especially helpful to school-based law enforcement. This video aims to provide foundational knowledge about swatting incidents and strategies to ensure an appropriate response. It is the first in a series of short videos designed to educate law enforcement and subcommunities about swatting events and how to mitigate harm.
- Swatting: Indicators for Public Safety Telecommunicators (DHS): This video overview on swatting is primarily for public safety telecommunicators and their supervisors. It is also useful for school personnel who regularly receive incoming communications that may include potential swatting efforts. This video aims to provide potential swatting indicators, de-escalation strategies, and helpful practices to public safety telecommunicators who may receive swatting calls directly to 911 or calls routed through non-emergency lines.
- Responding to and Investigating Bomb Threats and Swatting Hoaxes (DOJ): DOJ also provides periodic training on this topic. This virtual training offers an overview of the realities of bomb threats and swatting hoaxes and includes a detailed review of statistics and current trends seen across the country. The training also covers the characteristics of hoax calls, law enforcement best practices for assessment and response, and the decision-making process for evacuating or sheltering in place.
- Swatting: Mitigation Strategies and Reporting Procedures (ED): Through the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center, ED also provides access to state-based resources such as these materials, which were produced by the State of Washington using resources developed by New Jersey.
ED and DOJ stress that staff preparation is an important part of an institution’s response. Employees who may receive or respond to threats should understand established procedures and know how to coordinate with institutional leadership and law enforcement.
The guidance is not legally binding and does not establish new requirements. Instead, it provides recommendations and resources that institutions can use to develop or strengthen procedures based on their individual circumstances.