Fairfield students return to class after lockdown

Thousands of students in Fairfield returned to class Monday morning for the first time since Friday's school lockdown. Police say there was extra security on hand to make sure everyone was safe. Crisis

News 12 Staff

•

Oct 27, 2015, 4:56 AM

•

Updated 3,545 days ago

Thousands of students in Fairfield returned to class Monday morning for the first time since Friday's school lockdown.

Police say there was extra security on hand to make sure everyone was safe. Crisis counselors remained on school grounds until 7 p.m.

Students at all 17 Fairfield schools were sent home early Friday after a series of threats were called in to several schools. Officers say the threats appear to be a hoax. No one was hurt.

Fairfield's police chief says the caller used Internet technology to mask his ID and location.

Police say the act is called "swatting," and it has happened in the community before. They say homes in Norwalk and Greenwich were targeted last year.

Officials say two bills in Hartford would crack down on the crime. One bill would make school threats a felony.

Police say the threats can make kids scared to go to school, and that's why they're renewing efforts to crack down on this type of crime.

Police say they are getting better at tracking down individuals behind these hoaxes. Just this month, a man was sentenced to a year in prison for "swatting" UConn and other schools.

The police chief says even if they suspect a call is a hoax, they still have to treat it like it's real, especially when it involves schools.

Police are still determining the cost of the response.