A shelter-in-place order affected Bartlett Drive and nearby areas during police activity, while the circumstances remained under investigation.
The Alameda Police Department was involved in a response to activity on Bartlett Drive. The response included a shelter-in-place order affecting Bartlett Drive and nearby areas.
Officers Find No Victims Inside the Home
Police investigated the activity, while the circumstances and origin of the call remained unresolved. The department thanked the public for its patience and cooperation during the shelter-in-place order.
The circumstances mirror what public safety officials call swatting: a fake report, often describing an active shooting, hostage situation, or violent injury, designed to trigger a large, heavily armed police response. Callers frequently use internet-based spoofing tools or out-of-state routing to mask their identity and location, which is part of why the origin of Thursday's call is still under investigation.
California Law Treats False Reports as a Serious Crime
Under California Penal Code § 148.3, filing a false report of an emergency is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in county jail and a $1,000 fine, according to Rubin Law, P.C. The charge escalates to a felony when the response causes actual great bodily injury or death, with sentences of 16 months, two years, or three years, or up to one year in county jail, plus a fine of up to $10,000. Under Penal Code § 148.3, full restitution for police, fire, and emergency medical response costs may also be authorized, according to the Santa Monica Mirror. The response costs can range from several thousand dollars to more than $10,000 per incident. If investigators determine the call was routed across state lines or made over the internet, the case could also be prosecuted federally under 18 U.S.C. § 1038, which Rubin Law says can carry prison terms of up to five, 20, or life years in different circumstances.
Thursday's incident follows an October 2024 Alameda High School shelter-in-place. Alameda High School was placed on shelter-in-place after a crisis hotline counselor reported someone claiming to be armed inside a school restroom, a call believed to be part of a swatting incident. A February threatening call also involved a recorded message about a suspicious device in a campus parking lot.
A Regional Pattern of Costly Hoaxes
The Bartlett Drive call highlights the broader public-safety concern posed by swatting. Swatting has become a broader public-safety concern nationwide.
These hoaxes carry a real cost beyond the criminal penalties for the callers. A report cited by the SF Standard said that in 2021 only about 60 percent of Oakland 911 calls were answered within the state-mandated 15-second standard, meaning about 40 percent were not. Large tactical responses are among the public-safety consequences associated with hoax calls.
Alameda police have not said whether they have identified a suspect or determined where Thursday's call originated. The department's investigation into the call's legitimacy and origin remains ongoing.
