Swatting

[Number Six]

The term "Swatting" has become a major problem with real law enforcement agencies responding to urgent calls. One perpetrator of this fraud was recently charged with this offense: http://www.justice.gov/usao/ct/Press201 ... 910-1.html

It is a problem that hit a local family where someone called in a bogus emergency to the local police claiming that he was holding his mother hostage and other possible "threats"; a local fellow with some genius in physics, but not gainfully employed, still completely harmless. The cops came out, arrested him, he ended up a nervous wreck in the hospital. They put him in a group home. I spoke to his mother who said it was totally a false action, the NY police are just too tough to fight back against, etc.. Are there not legal actions that can be taken against people calling in false reports and or the police?

[LaVidaRoja]

Even Albuquerque has had a "swatting" call. Suspect unknown. Allegedly, at least one perpetrator has been handed a hefty sentence for this. However, two days later, the Albuquerque Journal published a retraction regarding a second "swatter". Totally sham report. The scope of the problem is difficult to establish when people can post false reports on the 'net.

[Fmotlgroupie]

I agree that the perpetrators of these"swatting"s are very bad people, who are risking their victims' lives, but I don't know if the police are doing anything wrong. Aren't they supposed to respond to people who call and say they're being attacked or held hostage?

[LaVidaRoja]

If you looked out you window and saw snipers with their sights targeted on you, what would you do? That is the beginning of the problem. In the local instance, the 'target' called 911, and the problem ended up being resolved. However, she was alerted by a neighbor. What if the SWAT team had observed her picking up a broom or other object that could be mistaken for a weapon? BIG problem. One possibility suggested it that before taking aim at any/everyone in the household, a telephone call be made. The answer to that call could defuse the situation in very quick fashion.

[Number Six]

Even Albuquerque has had a "swatting" call. Suspect unknown. Allegedly, at least one perpetrator has been handed a hefty sentence for this. However, two days later, the Albuquerque Journal published a retraction regarding a second "swatter". Totally sham report. The scope of the problem is difficult to establish when people can post false reports on the 'net.

Here was a bogus online report of the conviction of a Swatting teenager: http://nationalreport.net/15-year-old-s ... terrorism/ Snopes disproved it.

[Fmotlgroupie]

If you looked out you window and saw snipers with their sights targeted on you, what would you do? That is the beginning of the problem. In the local instance, the 'target' called 911, and the problem ended up being resolved. However, she was alerted by a neighbor. What if the SWAT team had observed her picking up a broom or other object that could be mistaken for a weapon? BIG problem. One possibility suggested it that before taking aim at any/everyone in the household, a telephone call be made. The answer to that call could defuse the situation in very quick fashion.

Calling a house with an apparent hostage situation in it is definitely a step you'd probably take before charging in (depending what information you have about how violently the suspect might respond to knowing the police were involved), but I doubt it would be responsible to risk setting off the situation like that before having a good plan in place for the possibility the suspect might be set off and kill the hostages (including obviously having snipers set up and ready to go). I doubt that the police would call the house, though, if they were already "on the phone" with the "victim".

[davids]

It happened to someone I know. He and his family had a Swat team break in one morning, then was incarcerated for a few days. He was able to bail himself out at an amazingly small number given the nature of the "arrest" and then had to go through a few months of a pending court case before getting word that the DA was not going to prosecute him. It is a real and very bad thing.