Four False Bomb Threats Target Schools and Businesses

Update by the Santa Barbara Police Department
January 20, 2023

In the past twenty-four hours the Santa Barbara Police Department has received four false bomb threats to the local community, three involving local schools or businesses and one involving the Santa Barbara Police Department.

[Correction: No public schools or public educational institutions were involved in the false bomb threats reported on by the Santa Barbara Police Department.  We take these calls very seriously and continue to investigate each one. ]

The Santa Barbara Police Department takes these types of calls very seriously and in each case immediately responded conducting thorough searches of the locations.  Included in those searches were the use of bomb detection dogs and at times, evacuations.  In each case, no bombs or other similar type devices were located.  At this time there is no reason to believe these threats are credible.

Occasionally, the Santa Barbara Police Department receives false emergency calls involving reports of crimes or the threat of crimes such as bomb threats.  These types of calls, referred to as “swatting” incidents, sometimes bring about a large number of armed police officers and other resources to a particular address.  This type of false reporting of an emergency is illegal and extremely dangerous.  Fake or prank emergency calls place first responders and members of the community as risk and tie up emergency resources. 

The Santa Barbara Police Department takes this issue very seriously and thoroughly investigates all false reports of emergencies.  Included in our investigation is notification to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which is standard protocol in these types of investigations.

These incidents remain under investigation.  Anyone with information is asked to call the Santa Barbara Police Department at (805) 882-8900.

Reported by an edhat reader
January 19, 2023

Bomb Threat at EF International and Notre Dame Schools

EF International has evacuated its campus as has Notre Dame School due to a bomb threat. The students and faculty are all safe and nothing else has happened or is known at this time.