Police say Maine swatting calls are not credible – NECN

Multiple reports of active shooter situations at schools across Maine on Election Day are not credible, state police said Tuesday morning.

State police said various crisis lines in Maine received threats from armed individuals at several school campuses across the state Tuesday morning. State Police said they were working with their various partners and were able to determine the calls were calls for shots fired with the intent to cause an emergency response.

Maine State Police are aware of swatting calls at schools across Maine and the country. We can confirm there is no risk to the public. pic.twitter.com/UNGLkaJN2B

—Maine State Police (@MEStatePolice) November 5, 2024

“There is no known threat to students, staff or the public at this time,” state police said in a statement. “The Department of Security encourages law enforcement and school administrators to continue to exercise due diligence when considering new potential threats.”

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows told News Center Maine that some of the high schools that received strike calls were also polling places.

“Election administrators and law enforcement worked together to ensure the election continued, and it was great to see its success,” Bellows said. She added that well-known polling locations were affected, including Scarborough, Sanford, Lewiston and South Portland.

South Portland High School was placed on lockdown at 10:30 a.m., and the nearby South Portland Community Center, which serves as a polling location, was placed on lockdown as a precaution. Voting there was temporarily disrupted as no one was allowed into the building for about ten minutes.

No further details were disclosed.