Shooting falsely reported at Boise Jewish center. Police investigate hate crime
Law enforcement is investigating after someone falsely reported an active shooter Sunday morning at a Boise religious center.
Ada County Dispatch responded to a call shortly after 11 a.m. reporting a shooter at the Chabad Jewish Center on South Maple Grove Road, Boise Police Department spokesperson Haley Kramer told the Idaho Statesman in an email.
“Upon arrival, officers found no evidence of gunshots or victims,” Kramer said. “Following an investigation, it was determined the dispatch call was a false report.”
Kramer said police are investigating the incident as malicious harassment. Idaho’s malicious harassment statute is the state’s version of a hate crime law, and makes it illegal to “intimidate or harass another person because of that person’s race, color, religion, ancestry, or national origin.”
The caller remained unknown as of Sunday afternoon..
Rabbi Mendel Lifshitz, who established the center in 2004, expressed gratitude for the quick police action, even if there was no real need.
“It makes us feel good that the police are responsive immediately and that they take everything seriously,” Lifshitz said by phone. “We’re just thankful that everybody’s safe and sound, and we have support from law enforcement and the community.”
Boise police did not immediately respond to the Statesman’s question about whether the incident was also being investigated as a swatting crime.
Falsely reporting an emergency to prompt a significant law enforcement response is known as swatting, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Swatting calls are made with the goal of “creating chaos” that could potentially result in violence, the department’s website states.
The Idaho Legislature has sought to address the issue with a number of anti-swatting bills in recent years.
Lifshitz said he wasn’t aware of any specific incident that would have incited the call.
