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University of Oregon authorities cleared the on-campus student recreation center Wednesday, May 6, after a “swatting” incident.
Swatting “involves the false reporting of a serious emergency — such as an active shooter or hostage situation — to trigger an armed law enforcement response at a targeted location,” according to the National Association of Attorneys General.
According to a campuswide alert sent just after 1 p.m., UO’s Police Department cleared the building and has not identified a threat. A department officer was patrolling outside the center, 1320 E. 15th Ave., “for observation” due to the swatting call, the alert states.
The university issued an all-clear alert at 1:54 p.m.
The rec center at 1320 E. 15th Ave. received a call from a blocked, unlisted number at about 11:10 a.m., according to UO’s Senior Director of Executive Communications Natalie Hurd.
The caller threatened to carry out a shooting, and then hung up, she said.
The center called the UO police, and officers were deployed to the building immediately, she said. Officers then contacted the staff member who took the initial call and conducted “thorough interior and exterior sweeps” to confirm the building’s security, Hurd said.
“There was a simultaneous call to Eugene PD, which combined with the lack of specificity in the threat, indicated this was consistent with a swatting incident rather than an active threat,” Hurd wrote in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, officers remained on site for an extended period to ensure the building stayed secure.”
Eugene police did not respond to the incident. False reports at times have targeted college campuses, with Wake Forest University in North Carolina reporting a “swatting” incident Tuesday.
“The university takes every threat seriously,” Hurd said. “We are grateful to UOPD for its swift response and to our partners at the Eugene Police Department for their collaboration.”
