Investigation Ongoing Into Swatting Call At Sandburg HS: Orland PD

ORLAND PARK, IL — Orland Park police continue to investigate a swatting call that lead to a hard lockdown of Carl Sandburg High School two weeks ago, police said Monday.

Police were called to the school around 1:40 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, following a 911 call from someone claiming two students intended to do harm to others at the school.

Within minutes, the on-site School Resource Officer and nearly two dozen officers were deployed inside the school, then placed on a hard lockdown.

"Our teams advanced throughout the campus, while other officers were investigating the phone call, and found no evidence of any threat," said Orland Park Police Commander Ken Rosinski.

The call was determined to be "swatting," or a fake, malicious call making false reports of a crime to elicit a large-scale law enforcement, or SWAT team, response. Similar calls were made recently, locally to Wheaton North High School and nationally to several schools in Colorado, police said.

Investigators traced the call to a discarded or lost phone, which registered to a cell tower on the outskirts of the district, police said. Neither the phone nor the call appear to be connected to the school in any way.

The school moved to a soft lockdown as officers swept the campus and students were released at 3 p.m., as usual. Police confirmed the campus was safe and secure, and the threat was unsubstantiated. The entire event lasted approximately 45 minutes, Rosinski said Monday.

Rosinski added authorities and school officials responded appropriately in what could have been crucial minutes.

"These threats are a crime and will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," he added.

Additional police were on-site at the start of the following school day, therapy dogs were on-hand for students and staff, and counselors and social workers were also available throughout the day to provide guidance and support.

"I remain thankful for and proud of how our school community rallied over this incident," said Sandburg Principal Dr. Derrick Smith. "We’ve received positive feedback and praise for the supportive spaces and opportunities staff created throughout the day following the lockdown.

“While there is no cookie-cutter response to any emergency, we continue to take every precaution possible and prepare as best we can," Smith said. "The cooperation and collaboration between the school and police department were laser-focused on safety for our students and staff, and I do not take lightly the trust our parents have put in us to maintain a safe learning environment."