Cedar Rapids police respond to swatting call at Jefferson High

CEDAR RAPIDS — Police responded Monday to a “swatting” call at Jefferson High School, the second such call at the school in two months.

The call came in at 12:57 p.m., and emergency crews began clearing out about 1:20 p.m., according to the Cedar Rapids Police Department. Neither the Cedar Rapids Community School District or the police department had released additional information about the nature of the call or the response.

Cedar Rapids police also responded to an unfounded threat at the school Feb. 2, and the school locked down briefly while police swept the premises.

Swatting calls are hoax reports made with the intention of creating a large police presence at the scene. The Iowa House and the Iowa Senate both have unanimously passed a bill, Senate File 2161, that increases the penalties for certain swatting hoaxes, but it has not yet been signed into law.

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