Increased police presence at many Virginia school campuses after false active shooter reports

Many school campuses in Virginia will see an increased police presence this week after false active shooter reports were made Monday.

CULPEPER, Va. - Many school campuses in Virginia will see an increased police presence this week after false active shooter reports were made Monday.

The Culpeper County Sheriff's Office says it will increase their presence at public school campuses across the county after the false reports sent schools across the district into lockdown.

On Monday, police responded to Eastern View High School Monday around 1:30 p.m. after a caller claiming to be a student reported dozens had been shot in a classroom.

A school resource officer, school security and sheriff's deputies made a full active shooter response to the school. Eventually all Culpeper County public schools across the district were placed on lock down.

Law enforcement found no shooters or weapons at any of the schools and students were safely released later Monday afternoon.

"Parents and students of CCPS should expect to see a higher presence of deputies this week at public school campuses," said Sheriff Scott Jenkins in an online post Monday. "There is no increased safety risk, but in light of today's event at EVHS I would like students to see a more visible presence of our deputies."

In Loudoun County, the Leesburg Police Department says the Smart's Mill Middle School community can expect extra patrols on campus this week after they were made aware of a social media group chat which references a rumored threat.

Authorities say nine other jurisdictions across Virginia received false reports of active shooters Monday.

The FBI Washington Field Office issued the following statement on the false active shooter reports:

"The FBI Washington Field Office is aware of several swatting incidents at schools in the National Capital Region, during which false reports of violence have been made. The FBI takes all threats seriously, and as always, we remain in contact with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention. Hoax threats such as these cause undue stress for students, teachers, parents, and other community members, and can be prosecuted as a crime. Investigating hoax threats also drains law enforcement resources and diverts us from responding to an actual crisis. We urge our community to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity or individuals to law enforcement immediately."