On February 2, Vanden High School and two neighboring schools were placed on a precautionary lockdown following a call to Dispatch, wherein the caller stated someone at the school had a gun.
This was quickly identified by Fairfield Police as a “SWATting” incident - where a prank call is made to emergency services in an attempt to get a large number of police officers, including SWAT (hence the name) to converge on a particular address.
The incident was thoroughly investigated by Officer Moran, the School Resource Officer (SRO) at Vanden High School. His investigation led to the identification of a 15-year-old, Vanden High School student as the person responsible for the call.
This afternoon, February 6, School Resource Officers arrested the juvenile at his home, and he was booked into the Solano County Juvenile Hall.
The prank call made by the student (who will not be named due to his age) not only forced the lockdown of multiple schools in the area, but it also resulted in anxiety and concern for parents, students, staff, and the community at large.
The Fairfield Police Department does not tolerate behaviors that waste our community’s time and resources, such as this “SWATting” incident. Actions like these - particularly those that incite fear and panic- aren’t humorous and can have consequences. Please, think before you act.
