Recent mass shootings prompt increase in 'shots fired' calls

False alarms. Real fear.

Police told WRAL News many communities are on heightened alert these days. Regardless of if the threat is real or not –it’s all hands on deck for local police agencies.

Long guns. Crime scene tape. Lockdown.

How does this happen?

Police chief David Hess with the city of Roxboro said for these reports, real or unfounded, a large law enforcement presence is the standard response. One requiring the use of lots of resources.

"People are emotional, which makes it difficult to effectively communicate and the dispatchers can only tell law enforcement the information they receive. And if that information is not clear or accurate, it can impact how law enforcement responds," said Hess. "You're going to see local law enforcement, county law enforcement and dependent on the area state law enforcement."

Last fall, a gunfire scare sent people running for safety at The Streets at Southpoint Mall in Durham.

Officials said a broomstick hit a table during a fight.

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Nearly two summers ago, a similar scene at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh. Police determined no shots were fired after a fight.

"When you hear a firecracker and you think ‘oh, that’s a gunshot,'" said mental health counselor Dr. Kamala Uzzell. "We call that ‘hypervigilance.’"

A state Uzzell said many communities are finding themselves in these days due to constant exposure to mass shootings.

From teachers like Steven Mercado.

"I work at a school and as an educator. That is something that is talked about when it does happen," said Mercado. "You talk about kids. You talk about people who can’t really defend themselves."

And even our local police.

"The same anxiety that the public feels about what's going on law enforcement feels that too," said Hess.

Dr. Uzzell suggests limiting your exposure on social media or the news to violent images as a coping mechanism.