Omaha, NE - A 9-1-1 call about a murder turned out to be a hoax and a big waste of time for Omaha police.
Somebody used the internet to make the prank call.
The caller gave an address, but when officers arrived, they found the home did not exist.
They checked a few other homes and after about one hour, determined it was a prank.
Investigators are looking into the computer's address to pinpoint where the call came from.
It’s a troubling trend called swatting, making prank calls for the specific purpose of activating a swat team.
"It’s an ugly phenomenon that is going on throughout the United States, and it’s something we have to deal with,” said Douglas County 9-1-1 Director Mark Conrey.
This time, police spent nearly an hour hunting down the fake address, before they realized it was a hoax.
The growing trend popped up just last week in Bellevue.
In April of last year the fake threats dialed in from a Skype account led to a nearly four hour stand-off in Douglas County.
"We have enough problems with real critical incidents that take place, let alone to have a false one get called in to further traumatize the citizens in this community,” said Omaha Police Captain Kerry Neumann.
When police respond to swat-ting claims, resources are diverted from those truly in need.
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