ISU

No Alert Sent: Iowa State Police Debunk Two Swatting Calls in Minutes Using Camera Footage

Monday, August 25, 2025IAswattingemergency notificationmedium confidence

Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

On August 25, 2025, Iowa State University received two false active shooter reports — first at Friley Residence Hall at 9:01 AM and then at Parks Library at 9:07 AM CDT. ISU police used security cameras to debunk both calls within minutes and made the controversial decision not to send an emergency alert, arguing that doing so could have caused greater panic.

Alerts: 1
Response: —
Killed: —
Injured: —

Institution

Iowa State University

Public R1 · IA

~30,700 studentsISU Alert

Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

FOLLOW-UPpress-releaseLate morning on August 25, 2025, after the incident was resolved

Verified verbatimVerbatim quote from ISUPD Chief Michael Newton during the August 25, 2025 press briefing, as reported by Iowa State Daily296 chars

These incidents are frustrating, they're frustrating for law enforcement, because there is an immediate response. We had law enforcement officers responding here, which is dangerous in and of itself, lights and sirens coming from multiple different areas to back us up, and these are unfortunate.

ISU police made the deliberate choice NOT to send an emergency alert during the active calls, reasoning that an alert could cause panic among the 30,000+ students on the first day of classes

Chief Newton's verbatim remark replaces the institutional alert that never happened — Iowa State sent no campus-wide ISU Alert SMS or email about the swatting

Newton separately credited training and camera infrastructure for the rapid debunking, saying it took 'a minute or two' to verify the hoax

Context

Background

On August 25, 2025, the first day of fall classes, Iowa State University police received two swatting calls six minutes apart — the first reporting an active shooter at Friley Residence Hall at 9:01 AM CDT, and the second at Parks Library at 9:07 AM. While officers deployed to both locations, investigators at the police station reviewed campus security cameras and determined within minutes that there was no threat. In a notable departure from how most universities handled similar incidents, ISU police chose not to send an emergency alert, with Police Chief Michael Newton arguing that an alert could cause unnecessary panic. The incident was part of a nationwide wave of university swatting attacks on August 25 that also targeted K-State, Villanova, UT Chattanooga, CU Boulder, and others. Experts cited by WQAD noted possible AI involvement in generating the hoax calls.

Analysis

Key Findings

ISU police used security cameras to debunk two simultaneous swatting calls within approximately two minutes, without sending an emergency alert

The decision not to alert was controversial — it avoided panic but left students unaware of a reported (if false) active shooter situation

This case is significant for Clery Act analysis: it raises the question of whether a swatting call that police quickly debunk still requires an emergency notification

Outcome

ISU police determined both calls were hoaxes within minutes using campus security cameras. No emergency alert was sent. The decision sparked debate about alert protocols during swatting incidents.

Provenance

Sources

News
Iowa State University police chief defends no alert for false shooter calls (WeAreIowa)
weareiowa.com
News
Police find no credible threat after receiving false reports (KCRG)
kcrg.com
national media
Iowa State University police credit training and cameras (CNN/KTVZ)
ktvz.com
News
Iowa State among campuses disrupted by false threat calls (WQAD)
wqad.com
News
Swatting Incident Disrupts Iowa State (KIOS Omaha Public Radio)
kios.org

Alert Sequence

Background

Key Findings

Sources

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