ALEXANDRIA — On Wednesday, Sept. 21 the Alexandria Police Department received information that a suspect or suspects were calling in active assailant calls at schools to various dispatch centers across the country.
At approximately 12:31 p.m., the Douglas County Dispatch Center received such a call of an active assailant for the Alexandria Area High School, where officers were already at the school finding no such activity.
There is no threat at this time, according to Alexandria Police Chief Scott Kent. A criminal investigation is being conducted.
In a news release, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said it's aware of multiple swatting incidents involving active shooter events or mass casualties at schools across Minnesota.
No incidents have turned out to be real.
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The BCA's Fusion Center is tracking these reports and keeping local law enforcement apprised of the situation. States across the U.S. have experienced similar mass "swatting" attempts, the BCA said. Swatting involves making a prank call to law enforcement services in an attempt to bring a large law enforcement response to a particular address.
The BCA reminded students and communities to notify local law enforcement and school resource officers about suspected threats to schools.
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