Greenwich Police Chief James Heavey warned that fake bomb threats and swatting calls targeting schools have the potential to increase as the new school year gets underway.

Heavey spoke Tuesday, Sept. 8, at a news conference organized by the FBI New Haven Field Office. He appeared in his role as president of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association (CPCA), which represents all 113 police chiefs and more than 6,500 officers statewide.

Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) Commissioner Ronnell Higgins and representatives from the Connecticut State Department of Education also participated, according to a Greenwich Police Department alert.

"Even when a threat proves to be false, the fear, disruption, and strain on public safety resources are very real," Heavey said. He added, "When one department feels the strain, we all do."

Swatting involves someone calling police with a false report of violence to trigger a large, disruptive law enforcement response. Between January 2023 and January 2024, schools across the country experienced more than 750 distinct swatting incidents, according to a September 2025 RAND Corporation report. Middle and high schools were the most frequent targets, with 51 percent of middle school principals and 40 percent of high school principals reporting at least one social media threat during the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 school years.

The National Association of Attorneys General also found that doxxing and swatting rose from 2024 to 2025, according to a June 2026 Carnegie Endowment report.

Heavey pointed to School Resource Officers as a critical line of defense. SROs are already embedded in school buildings, he said, and they understand the layouts, procedures and needs of students and staff. He said the relationships SROs build are just as important as their law enforcement training, because trust between officers and school communities helps information move faster and allows emergencies to be handled with greater coordination.

Greenwich High School SRO Chris Wallace stood alongside Heavey at the news conference, according to Greenwich Free Press coverage. Greenwich Public Schools, which enroll more than 8,600 students, have placed SROs in buildings, though the total number deployed was not specified.

Heavey urged schools and law enforcement to continue working together. Officers and dispatchers train continuously for swatting scenarios, he said, but preparation works best when educators and police operate as a team.

Residents who observe suspicious activity or receive a threat can contact the Greenwich Police Department.