Tuesday, several school districts across Iowa received “swatting calls” that referend an alleged active shooter scenario. According to Department of Public Safety officials, the first swatting call originated in Clinton County at approximately 8:00 a.m., and the last call was received at 10:30 a.m. in Creston. Officials estimate that approximately 30 calls were received by local law enforcement agencies.
A “swatting call” refers to a false claim intended to trigger an immediate and widespread law enforcement deployment or emergency service response to a specific location. Hoax reports such as the ones experienced Tuesday commonly consist of claims of serious violent attacks, such as a bomb threat, active shooter, and/or a hostage situation.
Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan K. Bayens said these false reports are a tactic intended to illicit a large-scale law enforcement response. “The design of it is to create confusion and chaos. It’s designed to draw a large law enforcement presence to a school even though there is no active threat. And by all accounts and for all intents and purposes, it appears thus far that is what Iowa experienced.

Bayens said Tuesday’s swatting calls impacted the following communities:
• Cedar Rapids
• Iowa City (multiple schools)
• Clinton
• Davenport
• Muscatine
• Cerro Gordo County
• Story County
• Lee County (multiple schools)
• Waterloo
• Boone
• Mason City
• Charles City
• Clear Lake
• Creston
• Des Moines
• Oskaloosa
• Marshalltown
• Monona
• Nevada
• North Liberty
• Ottumwa
• Decorah
Immediately after receiving these calls, local law enforcement and school officials reported all relevant information to the Department’s Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center, which then re-disseminated the information to local law enforcement agencies throughout the state. Bayens said this proactive information sharing allows schools and law enforcement to better determine their response protocols should one of their schools receive a similar call. “By reporting these calls to us, we can quickly inform our school and law enforcement partners, which in this case may have impacted the nature of their response and stemmed the flow of more calls to other communities,” Bayens said.
The Department is continuing to work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate and identify the caller. Bayens said the initial information leads investigators to believe the calls are similar in nature and likely originated from a single source.
State school safety officials and Governor Kim Reynolds were able to quickly inform the public about the swatting calls as part of a scheduled press conference and launch of a new school safety app called Safe+Sound Iowa. The app was made available to all public school districts and accredited non-public schools today. Parents, students, and community members can anonymously report any tips to law enforcement through dps.iowa.gov/SafeandSoundIowa, downloading the free Safe+Sound Iowa app, or by calling 800-224-6018.

Economic impact study reveals new data on jobs, wages and economic output, beating pre-pandemic levels

 [WEST DES MOINES, Iowa]—March 21, 2023— In Iowa, more than 325,800 jobs totaling $13.9 billion in wages are directly attributed to agriculture, according to the seventh annual Feeding the Economy report released by 25 food and agriculture groups.

The agricultural industry is also responsible for $96.5 billion of direct economic output in the state. When factoring in “induced impact” of linked food and agriculture industries and the spending power of those employed by them, Iowa agriculture’s economic impact more than doubles to $221.8 billion.

            “These numbers say what we already know—progress in agriculture starts with people,” says Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson. “As new technology and markets are developed to increase agricultural sustainability and offer more choices to the consumer, it will be these people with boots-on-the-ground who continue to make Iowa agriculture even stronger than it is today.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, between 1948 and 2019, land use for agriculture decreased by 28% while land productivity grew nearly four times and labor productivity grew more than 10 times. In fact, agriculture’s total factor productivity growth rate is among the highest of U.S. sectors.

Nationwide, the report shows the U.S. food and agriculture sector directly supports nearly 23 million jobs, provides $927 billion in wages and contributes over $8.6 trillion to the U.S. economy, a 22% increase since the 2019 report. The 2023 report also reveals nearly one-fifth of total manufacturing jobs in the U.S. are related to the production of agricultural products.

The full report and list of sponsoring groups can be found at www.FeedingTheEconomy.com.                     

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ANAMOSA– Due to the ongoing investigation, Anamosa State Penitentiary has been placed on restricted movement for the foreseeable future. This will limit inmate movement throughout the facility and give DOC staff the ability to conduct a large-scale search of the prison for illicit contraband. Visitation will not occur during the restricted movement period.

Two other inmates were found unresponsive in their cells and were administered Narcan on Sunday, March 19. Neither inmate required outside medical attention and both tested negative for illegal substances. Responding staff did not become ill following their encounters with these inmates. DOC has determined these cases are unrelated to the original incident that occurred on Saturday, March 18.

The original incident remains under investigation and DOC will continue to work in conjunction with the DPS Narcotics Division.

The Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office has released an update regarding the deceased body of a man found on the Mediapolis School grounds.

On March 13th, the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a deceased adult male who was located on the outlying grounds of the Mediapolis Community School property.

The incident remains under investigation, but the death does not appear to be suspicious.

The name of the deceased will be released along with the State Medical Examiner’s autopsy report.

Burlington Fire Department responds to structure fires over weekend
At 5:34 PM Saturday March 18, 2023 Burlington and West Burlington Fire Departments
responded to 412 S. Marshall Street in Burlington for a reported house fire. Firefighters arrived
at 5:38 PM to find heavy smoke coming from the back of the two-story house. A box alarm was
struck calling in off duty Burlington firefighters, as well as bringing Danville and Mediapolis
firefighters closer to Burlington.
Firefighters located and extinguished a fire in the kitchen. The surrounding rooms suffered heat
and water damage, with smoke damage throughout the house. The house is owned and occupied
by John Harris and is insured. Damage is estimated at $70,000 to the house and contents. There
were no working smoke detectors. The Red Cross has been called for victim assistance.
The cause of the fire is considered accidental and was due to combustible items stored too close
to the stove top. It is believed that a pet jumped onto the stove and inadvertently turned on a
burner.
Firefighters were assisted at the scene by Burlington Police, Alliant Energy, and Burlington
Waterworks. Firefighters cleared the scene at 8:22 PM. There were no firefighter injuries.
At 1:53 AM Sunday March 19, 2023 Burlington and West Burlington Fire Departments
responded to a report of a structure fire at the Lincolnville Motel, 1605 Mt. Pleasant Street in
Burlington. Firefighters arrived at 1:58 AM to find flames and smoke showing from a room on
the east side. Police officers were in the process of evacuating occupants from other nearby
rooms. A box alarm was struck calling in off duty Burlington firefighters, as well as having
Danville and Mediapolis firefighters closer to Burlington. Firefighters were able to contain the fire damage to one motel room and the attic area directly above, but other rooms sustained smoke and water damage. The property is owned by Dilip
Gandhi and is insured. The cause of the fire remains under investigation and is not suspicious.
Firefighters were assisted at the scene by officers from Burlington Police and Des Moines
County Sheriff, as well as Alliant Energy. One firefighter sustained a minor injury and was
treated at the scene. Firefighters cleared the scene at 3:43 AM.
At 7:03 PM Sunday March 19, 2023 the Burlington and West Burlington Fire Departments
responded to a reported structure fire at 727 Wightman Street in Burlington. Burlington Police
officers arrived first and assisted with locating and evacuating the occupant. Firefighters arrived
at 7:08 PM to find a single-family home and travel trailer fully engulfed in flames. A box alarm
was struck calling in off duty Burlington firefighters, as well as bringing Danville and
Mediapolis firefighters closer to Burlington. Firefighters had the fire extinguished by 8:24 PM.
The property is owned and occupied by Joseph Zipp and is insured. Damage estimates are still
being assessed, but both the travel trailer and house are a total loss. The Red Cross was called
for victim assistance. One pet escaped the house and was later recovered without injury. The
fire damaged one automobile, as well as the house at 723 Wightman Street sustained heat
damage to two windows.
The cause of the fire was due to open burning outside the residence. The fire spread to the travel
trailer and then to the house. Mr. Zipp was issued a citation for violating the city’s open burning
ordinance.
Firefighters were assisted at the scene by Burlington Police, Superior Ambulance, Alliant
Energy, and Burlington Waterworks. There were no injuries. Firefighters cleared the scene at
9:55 PM.