Swatting calls are very frequent these days, and they’re becoming a big problem. In recent days, political figures are being targeted more often than before. U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost are recent victims.
On Christmas Day alone, three different public figures got fake calls about them. “What is swatting?” one may ask. Swatting is the act of making a prank call to emergency services to prompt a response at a particular address.
Therefore, the aim is to get authorities to show up at the address, particularly a SWAT team. This is because when the prankster calls, they make serious claims that regular police officers usually don’t handle. For example, a man calling himself “Jamal” has recently made several hoax calls.
He usually claims that he shot his wife in a gruesome way because she was sleeping with another man. He also demanded a $10,000 payment from the officials to release his wife’s hostage boyfriend.
ALSO READ: Boston Mayor’s Home Targeted in String of Christmas “Swatting” Incidents
As expected, this type of call is quite serious and demands armed officials at the scene. Authorities cannot tell when the call is a hoax, so they have to respond with full force.
According to several reports, there is a probability that the increase in swatting calls targeting lawmakers is deliberate. For example, two Ohio lawmakers thought they targeted them for helping pass a law making swatting a felony in the state.
Similar bills are also pending in other states and Congress. Therefore, several politicians are calling for increased penalties for swatting for several reasons.
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First, swatting might sound harmless, but it is not. In 2015, police in Maryland shot a man in the face with rubber bullets after someone reported a fake hostage situation at his home.
Sometimes, these swatting calls can also cause more damage, like death. In 2017, a police officer in Kansas shot and killed a man while responding to a fake emergency call. He lost his life, and this left his two children without their father.
Therefore, swatting calls are pretty serious. They put innocent lives at risk and subject them to many dangers. Furthermore, these fake calls divert police resources from real emergencies. When they dispatch armed officers to fake emergencies, it takes the officials away from any real crime that might be ongoing.
ALSO READ: Police Confirm Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene Victim of “Swatting” Incident
Sometimes, this is the exact aim of the prank callers. They use it to buy some time when they are about to commit serious crimes. If most of the armed officials in a unit are busy attending to a fake report, there is a higher chance of their crimes being successful.
Without a doubt, swatting needs to be curbed as soon as possible. The political victims believe a higher penalty will discourage people from making fake calls. If swatting is a felony, there is a good chance that the calls will reduce.
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