On Monday, Dane County authorities received reports about a person with a rifle firing two shots at the Memorial Library at UW Madison.
Officers quickly responded to the call and determined that there was no threat. After reviewing security camera footage it became clear that the call was a hoax meant to incite panic among the campus community.
UW Madison is just the latest to fall victim to a series of active shooter hoaxes as schools and universities have resumed instruction.
While the fake reports may seem harmless, John DeCarlo, a criminal justice professor at the University of New Haven, said that the incidents can cause fear and panic as word travels about a crime in progress. (RELATED: Wisconsin Refuses Trump Admin’s Request To Clean Up Voter Rolls)
“There is very often the case that fear travels faster than facts,” DeCarlo told WPR on Wednesday. “So all of a sudden comes this hoax call. And whether it be a bombing or a shooting, by the time the truth gets out that it’s a hoax, people are frightened to death because it is a hoax dependent on fear.”
The federal government is reportedly taking hoax active shooter calls increasingly seriously, and the crime could result in up to 20 years in prison if they result in injury, according to legal experts. (RELATED: UW System Secures $1.13 Billion in Budget Deal, Then Approves Tuition Hike)
“With one phone call, you create a hoax that brings police running, that brings fire departments running, there’s a lot of people being mobilized. And of course, then you get the added benefit of frightened parents and students,” DeCarlo said. “And of course, it takes resources away from real events. And that’s the dangerous part of it.”
