Wayne Community Schools went into lockdown on Friday, Jan. 30 due to a string of swatting threats, according to the Wayne Police Department.
Wayne Community Schools, including the Junior/Senior High school, Elementary School and St. Mary’s School all went into a lockdown after a series of three threats made by an anonymous caller. Winside and Wakefield schools also went into a precautionary lockdown, but Wayne State College stayed in “business as usual”.
According to a press release done by the Wayne Police Chief Marlen G. Chinn, there was a series of three total threats. The first call came at 10:15 a.m. to Wayne High School, followed by a similar one made to the elementary school a few minutes later. “A delayed third similar call” was made to the elementary school stating the so-called shooter was in the parking lot ready to shoot up the school where law enforcement was already on scene.
Sweeps were done of both schools from the inside out; however, law enforcement were unable to pinpoint a real threat. Law enforcement stayed at both schools until students were released by the respective school administrations.
Some students at WSC expressed frustration that they weren’t alerted about the lockdown. Hannah Strizek, a freshman at WSC, was walking to the library when Wayne Community Schools went into lockdown.
“I just think if there is a threat, it should be taken seriously. You should notify your youth. You should notify the students on campus. Wayne is such a small town; a shooter could literally walk from the high school or elementary to the campus, and nobody would bat an eye. I think if I am paying a bunch of money to be here, and get a college degree, I deserve to know if there’s going to be somebody who shoots me as I am walking to class,” Strizek said.
Jay Collier, the director of college relations for WSC, said communication with law enforcement officials precluded the need to send out a mass alert.
“Wayne Police Department, at that point, was like, ‘yeah we haven’t contacted you, there is no need for you to be on lockdown.’ They had already determined it to be a swatting call at that point,” Collier said. “Our head of campus security just sent an email out to us last week about the rise of swatting calls in the area, and sure enough, here we are; that’s what happened with this incident.”
Cody Thomas, public relations director with the Nebraska State Patrol, attested to the increase in swatting calls.
“There was no actual threat, as this was a swatting incident, following a pattern of many others around the country in recent weeks. There were no injuries, and there is no ongoing threat,” Thomas said.
Wayne families were contacted via emergency texts at 10:34 a.m. saying “Wayne Community Schools is on lockdown. Do not come to school, everyone is safe in lockdown. Law enforcement is on the scene.”
Another text was sent an hour later saying, “We are still in lockdown at Wayne. Students and staff are safe. There is an unrelated medical situation on campus. Do not come to school.”
Law enforcement agencies on scene included Wayne PD, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, and the Nebraska State Patrol.
