False active shooter calls, commonly referred to as “swatting,” are hitting campuses across the country. In recent weeks, universities from the University of South Carolina to Villanova have faced terrifying hoaxes that sent police racing across campus, locked students in classrooms, and left entire communities rattled. The costs go far beyond the initial panic: every false alarm drains resources, undermines trust, and leaves faculty and students wondering how they’ll know what’s real the next time.
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At the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), a “library shooting” call was escalated as if it were the real thing. Within minutes, officers were on site. But there was no weapon, no gunman, no shots fired. Just a hoax.
Here’s where technology played a critical role. While dispatchers were relaying alarm details, UTC’s security team was also watching a different picture: their AI system received no weapon notifications on any of the cameras monitoring the library. That absence of alerts became one of the first indicators that the situation wasn’t what it seemed. The police were able to clear the area and confirm there was no active threat.
The Growing Threat of Swatting Incidents
Swatting isn’t just a prank. It’s a deliberate tactic designed to overwhelm schools and law enforcement. Calls are more frequent, more sophisticated, and nearly impossible to ignore. For universities, that means every incident must be treated as real until proven otherwise.
The challenge is speed: security teams need a way to separate hoaxes from real threats in seconds, before panic, lockdowns, and resource-draining responses spiral out of control.
The High Cost of Hoaxes
Every swatting call drains valuable resources. Police departments often send dozens of officers, SWAT teams, and emergency responders to the scene. In some cases, local hospitals are put on alert, nearby schools lock down, and community panic spreads like wildfire. A recent investigation by WIRED found that some swatting groups were charging as little as $20 per call to unleash this kind of chaos. Meanwhile, the cost to a campus can easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars per incident when you consider law enforcement overtime, emergency operations, lost class time, and reputational damage.
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The costs go beyond dollar signs. Hoaxes erode community trust, students stop taking alerts seriously, and parents lose confidence in the university’s ability to keep their children safe. Additionally, faculty and staff grow weary of frequent lockdown drills that may or may not reflect a real threat. The emotional toll can linger long after the incident is over.
AI Detect Threats While Humans Verify
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a critical tool for security teams facing these challenges. The key is speed and clarity. In the UTC incident, the absence of AI notifications was just as important as a positive detection. Security leaders could say with confidence, “We’re not seeing what the caller is claiming.” That helped de-escalate the situation quickly and avoid unnecessary chaos.
It’s important to note what AI in this context does (and doesn’t) do. Systems usually do not track personally identifiable information. They don’t log faces or store personal data. Instead, they scan camera feeds in real time for specific threats: weapons, suspicious movements, or dangerous behaviors. This is about situational awareness, data and strategic insights; not surveillance of individuals.
But impactful AI systems don’t rely on algorithms alone. Every potential alert should be validated by trained human reviewers before it’s escalated to on-the-ground security officials. That means if the AI detects what looks like a rifle but turns out to be an umbrella, the false flag stops at the review stage, never escalating into a full-scale emergency response.
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This dual approach — fast detection powered by AI, combined with human verification — ensures schools and other organizations get the best of both worlds: real-time awareness without the chaos of false alarms.
Impacts of False Alarms Extend Beyond School Perimeters
While swatting incidents are top of mind for universities, the same dynamics are playing out at K-12 schools, corporate campuses and healthcare facilities. Large office buildings with hundreds of students and employees are vulnerable to false threats that cause panic and productivity loss. Hospitals face the added challenge of protecting patients who cannot easily evacuate.
In every environment, leaders are asking the same questions: How do we respond quickly without over-reacting? How do we confirm what’s real when panic sets in?
Related Article: How Colleges Should Handle Active Shooter Hoax Calls: Emergency Response Protocols and Clery Act Compliance
The playbook is similar. AI gives security leaders another set of eyes that are always on, always scanning, and able to filter noise from signals. It’s been proven time and time again, that one false call can spiral into a multi-agency emergency. Thus, clarity is invaluable.
Building Trust Through Smarter, More Reliable Safety Strategies
No technology can eliminate swatting. But schools and other institutions can take steps to make these hoaxes less disruptive and less effective. This requires combining people, process, and technology:
- People – Train campus police and dispatchers to recognize the signs of swatting (such as calls coming through administrative lines, not 911) and to coordinate quickly with technology teams.
- Process – Establish clear escalation protocols that account for both the possibility of a real threat and the potential for a hoax. Document what “confirmation” looks like and who has authority to call an all-clear.
- Technology – Use AI-based systems to cross-check claims in real time. If someone calls in a shooting, but hundreds of cameras across campus show nothing, that absence of evidence becomes a vital part of decision-making.
The Importance of Accurate Alert Systems
For campus leaders, the real issue goes beyond managing panic during a hoax. It’s about building lasting trust. Students and faculty need to know that alerts are accurate and trustworthy. Parents need confidence that their children are protected by tools built for today’s threats. And law enforcement needs confidence that when they respond, they’re doing so with the best possible information.
Swatting is not a new concept, but what has changed is the availability of tools that can help campuses respond smarter. Too many organizations are still relying on outdated playbooks, when proven tools already exist to cut through the noise.
By pairing AI detection with human validation, campuses can identify real threats faster, identify hoaxes before panic takes over, and give their communities confidence that safety decisions are grounded in reality.
Sal Mani, Co-founder, Head of Safety & Security, VOLT AI
Note: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety.
