Full Notification

CITY OF MOORPARK
POLICE DEPARTMENT
NEWS STORY

www.VCSD.org

Nature of Incident: Swatting Incident at Moorpark High School
Report Number: 15-9482
Location: Moorpark High School 4500 Tierra Rejada Ave. Moorpark, CA
Date & Time: April 27, 2015 / 8:09 A.M.
Unit(s) Responsible: Moorpark Police Department / Ventura County Sheriff’s Office
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(S) Unknown
Narrative:
On April 27, 2015, in the early morning hours a threat was left on the Moorpark Unified School District’s main phone line. The caller used a voice alteration device to disguise their identity. The caller threatened to harm students and faculty at Moorpark High School. The district contacted Moorpark High School who immediately put the school into lockdown and notified the Moorpark Police Department. In addition to the Moorpark Police Department, several Sheriff Special Investigative Units responded.

Additional information was obtained that led school officials to lockdown other schools in the immediate area. All lockdown’s were lifted at 11:30 A.M. when officials determined there was no longer a threat to public safety.

The investigation is being handled as a potential “Swatting” incident. Swatting is easily defined as the use of modern technology to trick law enforcement and other first responders. The process involves a fictitious communication which is intended to illicit a large emergency response.

During the investigation, approximately fifty deputies responded to various locations in the City of Moorpark which caused a drain on localized resources. The Sheriff’s Office will aggressively pursue suspects in these cases as they clearly put the public and law enforcement officers at risk. In recent years, the Sheriff’s Office has made arrests as far away as New Jersey and Maryland in unrelated Swatting cases. If you can provide any information on this case, please contact Detective Bill Hutton at (805) 947-8113.

Prepared by:
Captain John Reilly

News Release Date:
April 27, 2015

Media Follow-Up Contact:
Captain John Reilly (805) 947-6782

Approved by:
Captain Todd Inglis

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).