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City of Muscatine Press Releases

Police respond to, investigating false threat to high school

MUSCATINE, Iowa – The Muscatine Joint Emergency Communication Center received a 911 call from an unknown individual at approximately 8:25 a.m. Monday (March 21) who reported there was a shooting that had just occurred at the Muscatine High School. 

This same type of “swatting call” was received at several other emergency communication centers across eastern and central Iowa around the same time.  A “swatting call” is a false report made to law enforcement to elicit a large response from authorities.

Members from Muscatine Police and Muscatine Fire departments along with the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Department responded to the Muscatine High School. 

It was quickly determined that the 911 call had been a hoax and that there was no armed threat at the school, nor was there any threat to students or staff. The Muscatine High school and some surrounding schools were placed on a temporary lockdown while the incident was being resolved and a thorough check of the campus was being conducted. 

Additional police presence remained at the high school in an effort to ease safety concerns of students and staff. 

The incident remains under investigation and the Muscatine Police Department is working with outside agencies in an effort to identify those responsible. Anyone who may have information about this incident is asked to contact Sgt. Jeff DeVrieze at (563) 263 – 9922, ext. 629.

Muscatine Community School District Superintendent Clint Christopher and Muscatine Police Chief Tony Kies issued a statement late this morning regarding the incident.

“Our high school was ‘swatted’ this morning,” the statement read. “That means that a fake threat was called into the Muscatine Police Department from outside of the state of Iowa. Muscatine Police responded accordingly, swept the entire building, and once they informed us that there was no credible threat, we resumed the school day.”

Similar ‘swatting’ calls happened to other school districts across the state of Iowa, and have been occurring across the country for the past several months.

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City of Muscatine Press Releases

MUSCOM to start video streaming from 911 callers

MUSCATINE, Iowa – The Muscatine County Joint Communications Center (MUSCOM) is excited to announce the launch of “Prepared Live” in the dispatch center. Built by the company Prepared, the software enables the Muscatine 9-1-1 dispatch center to livestream, receive multimedia, and receive location from mobile callers in real-time. 

This addition to our technology suite will significantly improve our ability to effectively and efficiently respond to emergencies in the community.

“The ability for our Public Safety Dispatchers to view live streaming from 911 callers will give our first responders a better understanding of exactly what type of situations they will be entering,” Chris Jasper, Director of Emergency Management and 911 for Muscatine County, said.  “We hope that this will enhance officer safety and give them more accurate information before they arrive on scene.”

Participation in video streaming during a call is completely voluntary and consent of the caller is required. If the caller consents, they will receive a livestream link via text from the dispatcher, enabling them to activate live video upon clicking to activate the link.

It is important to note that the video call function will not provide MUSCOM with access to the contents or settings of a caller’s phone.

The launch follows three weeks of preparation and training to ensure that the dispatchers and the team are able to properly utilize the software. Working side-by-side with Prepared’s customer success team, MUSCOM has created and adopted policies to ensure that “Prepared Live” is used effectively in various scenarios.

“We are very excited to start utilizing ‘Prepared Live’ in our center as it has proven to help tremendously in various capacities across the country,” Jasper said.   

Originally founded as a company focused on school safety, Prepared, led by co-founders Mike, Dylan, and Neal, is a mission-driven organization with a passion for improving public safety. In creating an app to help mitigate school emergencies, the team discovered that valuable data is lost in existing 9-1-1 processes and set out to address the problem. Since public launch in October of 2021, Prepared Live has helped protect over two million American citizens in cities around the country.

To learn more about Prepared and “Prepared Live”, visit Prepared911.com

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City of Muscatine Press Releases

No injuries as Muscatine Fire battles two fires Monday night

MUSCATINE, Iowa – The Muscatine Joint Communications Center (MUSCOM) received a 911 call at approximately 6:30 p.m. Monday (Jan. 16) for a possible electrical fire in a room at Addington Place, 3515 Diana Queen Drive. This is a nursing facility in Muscatine.

“All of our first responders did a great job,” Battalion Chief Ted Hillard said. “I just cannot say enough about them along with the great support we received from the Fruitland firefighters especially since we had to break off some of our crew to answer other calls.”

Upon arrival at Addington Place, fire crews found smoke in a resident’s room with smoke starting to fill up the hallway. The fire sprinkler system activated when fire crews entered the room and the fire was extinguished. The resident was checked for any injuries and the firefighters on scene ensured that the fire was completely out.

All residents were evacuated and accounted for during the fire suppression effort.

The sprinkler system for that hallway of the facility was shut down until the sprinkler company was able to respond and make needed repairs to the system. A recovery company was on scene to mitigate water damage. 

The fire was contained to a heating unit and the area directly above.  

Because the sprinkler system responded exactly as designed there were no injuries and the damage was limited to that one residential unit.

The on scene investigation is complete. A final cause has yet to be determined but it does appear to be an accidental fire. The initial fire loss estimate is $10,000. The resident in that room was moved to another room in the facility and was not externally displaced. 

The Muscatine Police Department and Muscatine County EMA responded with the initial call. The Muscatine Fire Department was also assisted by fire crews from the Fruitland Fire Department. Approximately 20 firefighters responded to the fire. There were no injuries to any of the responders.

It was a busy evening for the fire department starting with a medical call before the response to Addington Place. Just 20 minutes after arriving at the fire scene, the Muscatine Station Two engine and firefighters were cut loose from Addington Place to a vehicle fire in the 2100 block of Hershey Avenue.

About the Muscatine Fire Department: 

The Muscatine Fire Department provides fire and emergency medical services, rescues (high angle, rope, water, etc.), building inspections, and public education for the City of Muscatine, and the surrounding unincorporated areas of Muscatine County with a combined population of 43,000 across 145 square miles while also providing HAZMAT for Muscatine, Louisa, Washington, Keokuk, and Henry counties. MFD firefighters and paramedics responded to 5,027 calls in 2018. The Muscatine Fire Department began as a volunteer fire company on January 7, 1875 and was established as a full-time department in January 1916. The Muscatine Fire Department ambulance service received the 2012 Career Ambulance service of the Year Award from Iowa Emergency Medical Services.

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City of Muscatine Press Releases

Man charged after school parking lot argument

MUSCATINE, Iowa – The Muscatine County Joint Communications Center (MUSCOM) received multiple 911 calls at approximately 2:38 p.m. today (Sept. 19), of a subject who was creating a disturbance in the parking lot of McKinley Elementary School. There were also reports that the subject was claiming to have a weapon. 

Officers from the Muscatine Police Department responded to the scene and advised both McKinley Elementary School and Susan Clark Junior High School to go into lockdown until the situation was resolved.

When the Muscatine Police arrived, the individual was located sitting in his truck within the school parking lot. He was identified as Gabriel L Bishop, 40, (DOB 04/05/82).  

Bishop had entered the parking lot behind another vehicle who he was upset with over an incident that had happened on the roadway prior to the vehicles entering the parking lot. Once the vehicles came to a stop, Bishop stepped out of his truck and began arguing with the occupants of the vehicle he had followed. 

During that confrontation, Bishop made a statement that indicated he could be in possession of a weapon. Several people who overheard this disturbance then called 911. No weapon was immediately found on Bishop. 

Bishop was taken into custody and has been charged with Harassment in the 2nd Degree and Disorderly Conduct. 

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

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City of Muscatine Press Releases

MUSCOM to participate in statewide tornado drill March 23

MUSCATINE, Iowa – The Muscatine County Joint Communications Center (MUSCOM) will start the yearly testing of the Outdoor Sirens on Monday, April 4, 2022.  The sirens are tested on the first Monday of every month at 11 a.m. during non-freezing months, however, if there is severe weather forecast for a testing day, the sirens will not be tested.      

 

The county will also be participating in the Statewide Tornado Drill to be held in conjunction with Severe Weather Awareness Week.  The Drill will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 23.  The sirens will also be activated in conjunction with this drill.    For more information you can visit the National Weather Service Site at https://www.weather.gov/dvn/.

 

“The Statewide Drill gives businesses, schools, daycares and other facilities the chance to practice their severe weather procedures as we move into storm season.  I encourage all facilities in the county to participate in the drill” said Chris Jasper, Director – Emergency Management/911.

 

Just as a reminder to all citizens, during a severe weather event, the sirens are activated by MUSCOM when one of the following criteria is met:

  • Tornado Warning issued by the National Weather Service
  • Tornado or funnel cloud reported by a trained weather spotter
  • Severe thunderstorm Warning issued by the National Weather Service or a report from a trained weather spotter that includes:
    1. Wind 70mph or greater and/or
    2. Golf ball sized hail or larger

 

According to information from the NWS most fatalities during tornadoes or severe thunderstorms occur due to falling trees or large branches.  70 mph wind is the typical threshold at which large branches and small trees break.   Hail also begins to break windows when it reaches or exceeds golf ball sized hail. 

 

“Muscatine County follows the guidelines that are set out by the National Weather Service.  Due to the possibility of extreme danger from falling trees and branches we will continue to activate the siren system for Severe Thunderstorm Warnings that meet that threshold,” said Jasper.

 

Sirens are designed to alert citizens who are outdoors of an imminent hazard and prompt them to go indoors and seek further information.

 

“We encourage the public to tune into local media outlets or listen to a weather radio during severe weather and ask that they limit the use of 911 to emergencies only,” Jasper said.

 

Anyone that believes a siren is not working or malfunctioning can reach out to the Office of Emergency Management at 563-264-7142.

 

Outdoor Siren Locations

 

In cooperation with the Muscatine Area Geographic Information Consortium (MAGIC), a link has been created for Muscatine County residents to pinpoint where the outdoor warning sirens are located. Click on the following link to view the locations: OUTDOOR SIRENS. 

 

Free National Weather Service Storm Spotter Training

 

For those interested in becoming storm spotters, the National Weather Service will be conducting both an in-person and virtual (on-line) training. Storm spotter training will be held at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 15, at Calvary Church in Muscatine. Classes cover severe weather hazards including thunderstorms and tornadoes, the general structure and movement of severe thunderstorms, identification of important storm features, and safety concerns. 

 

All in-person and virtual classes to be conducted by the NWS Quad Cities office, and all classes last about 2 hours. Classes are free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required for virtual classes. Classes are appropriate for all ages, but ages 10 and up will likely get the most out of the training.

 

Click QUAD CITIES STORM WATCHERS for more information or visit the Storm Spotter Training event notification on Facebook.

 

Testing and Activation of the Muscatine County-Wide Outdoor Warning System

 

The Muscatine County Emergency Management Agency has established a Guidance policy for Testing and Activation of the Muscatine County-Wide Outdoor Warning System. As a reminder, sirens are used to alert those who are outdoors of an imminent hazard and prompt them to go indoors and seek further information. The information will be available to the general public through the county and other municipalities’ websites.

 

For more information, visit the Emergency Management website, and follow them on Facebook.

 

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