Bangor High School One Target Of State-Wide Swatting Hoax

Things were tense for many students, faculty, and staff across the state of Maine today, as multiple schools received threats that armed individuals were on their campuses.

According to the Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson, Shannon Moss, this was a statewide issue Tuesday morning.

"On Tuesday morning November 5, 2024, various crisis lines in Maine received threats of armed individuals on multiple school campuses around the state. The Maine State Police are working with our various partners and can confirm these initial calls were swatting incidents intended to provoke an emergency response. There is presently no known threat to the students, staff, or public at this time. "

One of the High Schools affected by the hoax was Bangor High School.

Ray Phinney Director, of Community Outreach and Safety for the Bangor School Department, says students and faculty were on lockdown for a while.

"This morning at 10 am, Bangor High School received a phone call from a national crisis line reporting a person on the Bangor High School Campus with a rifle. The school immediately went into a secure hold...After a full sweep of the grounds, it was determined that there was no danger to the school. The secure hold was released at 10:25 am. All students and staff are safe."

The Department of Homeland Security, says these types of "swat hoaxes" don't just impact schools, but can impact other organizations as well.

"Throughout the country, schools, hospitals, businesses, places of worship, non-governmental organizations, and individuals to include U.S. government officials, journalists, celebrities, online gamers, and many others have increasingly been victims of swatting calls and hoax threats, causing fear and potentially dangerous interactions with law enforcement."

In each local case Tuesday, the threats were thoroughly investigated by law enforcement officials while staff at the schools followed their established protocol to keep students safe.

State Officials say that despite it being deemed a hoax, they encourage law enforcement and school leadership to continue to review all new potential threats.