Princeton Community Meeting About Swatting Incidents Slated for Wednesday Night, June 17

princeton policeThe Princeton Public Schools and the Princeton Police Department will be hosting a community meeting to discuss the ‘Swatting’ threats that have affected the Princeton Community and other communities around New Jersey and the nation.

The meeting will be held at the John Witherspoon Middle School on Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 6 p.m.

Officials will provide an update on how Princeton has been affected by this crime trend and how the schools, the police and other stakeholders are responding to it.

An update regarding the status of the investigations will be provided. Questions from the public are welcome and all community members are welcome to attend.

Last week, Princeton Police Chief Nick Sutter hosted an information sharing session with 70 other members of local county, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Police have been working with FBI experts to try to trace the bogus threat calls known as swatting calls. A recorded voice leaves a message that includes some kind of threat. The calls are difficult to trace because of computer technology the callers use.

Sutter has worked closely over the last several weeks with the New Jersey Regional Operations Intelligence Center and has spoken with key investigators from the New Jersey State Police on a regular basis. He has also met with the FBI’s cyber-crime experts, who are investigating these incidents.

“We are doing everything we possibly can using every law enforcement resource available. We also have the latest technological tools at our disposal thanks to our partnerships. With this being said, there are no easy answers. These incidents may have international ties and these investigations tend to move slowly,” Sutter said. “We will continue to prioritize these investigations and throw all available resources at our responses and investigations. The safety of our schools is paramount to our mission.”

“I have personally seen the toll these threats our taking on our community, especially our schools, Sutter said. “I absolutely share in everyone’s concerns and we will work diligently to bring this to an end.”

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Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.