‘Swatting’ is the online gamer term for making a hoax 911 call that reports a hostage, active-shooter incident or explosive device at the home of an opponent. Incidents of swatting were first reported in 2012 and it has re-emerged as a trending problem that jeopardizes EMS and other public safety resources.
Keep in mind that nearly anytime a law enforcement SWAT or tactical team is deployed, EMS resources are also dispatched. Tactical medics that accompany the SWAT officers may need to leave their EMS assignments or come into work from being off-duty.
In addition, if the thread is significant the dispatcher, rightfully so, may request one or more ambulances to stage at a nearby location. Further depleting the capabilities of the EMS system to respond to real 911 emergencies in the community.
A Minn. news article highlights swatting as a national trend after “12 officers, with guns drawn and wearing tactical gear, swooped into a suburban neighborhood, answering a call that a son had shot his father.” It was a prank call, with live video captured on the internet.
There has been no shortage of swatting incidents in 2015.
Hoax 911 call ties up NY EMS and police units
Onondaga County 911 dispatchers received a 9 a.m. call for a reported stabbing. Emergency crews stationed nearby.
Bogus 911 calls put Ohio police on alert
Police received a call at around 4 a.m. from a man who said he had just murdered family members, wired his home with explosives and was demanding money to free hostages.
Pa. police investigate 911 call of hostage hoax
Police and a SWAT team surrounded a house after receiving a 911 call from a man who claimed to have a shotgun, to have stabbed his girlfriend and to have two children tied up.
‘Swatting’ suspected in Wash. 911 call
Police and medics responded to a false report that a man had shot his mother and strapped a bomb to his father.
Hoax calls are investigated and arrests made
Swatting incidents occur across the country. Nabbing the hoaxers is tough, but not impossible, Stacey Wright, manager of the Security Operations Center at the Center for Internet Security in New York, told the Daily Record.
“Tracking down the suspects is often challenging, but is frequently possible by law enforcement,” she said. “There have been multiple arrests of swatters, including serial swatters responsible for a large number of calls.”
Swatting surfaced around 2008, and became popular within the online gaming community as a form or retaliation against another player.
In 2012, our EMS1 Advisor Art Hsieh angrily spoke out against swatting in a news analysis after the Coast Guard received a distress call for 21 “souls” aboard a yacht that exploded off the coast of Sandy Hook, N.J. It was determined to be a false, and the response cost $335,000.
Hsieh commented that 911 hoaxes are not only a waste of resources, but also open up EMS and other first responders to scrutiny.
“These hoaxes might be indicative of a change in the way the public views its public safety services,” Hsieh said.
What can be done about swatting?
Woodbury (Minn.) Police Spokeswoman Michelle Okada told TwinCities.com that police have no way to screen out swatting calls.
“Police need to respond to the 911 calls based on the information they receive,” she said. “Any call reporting a possible murderer inside a home gets the most extreme response.”
Dispatchers should be aware of swatting, which often involves bomb threats.
Here’s information on how dispatchers should handle such calls.
Dispatchers need to take the calls seriously, but should be aware that the vast majority of bomb threats are sociopathic behavior, intended to cause disruption, revenge or a practical joke rather than a warning of real devices.
Increasing the consequences for swatting
Lawmakers in New Jersey are also considering tougher measures that crack down on swatting.
Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, D-Gloucester, introduced a bill to increase penalties for swatting in November 2014. He calls for suspects to be charged with false public alarm in the second degree, which carries five to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $150,000, if convicted.
Critics say that’s too harsh, especially since swatters tend to be members of a younger generation. Moriarty faced backlash from those that the bill targets.
On April 11, 2015, officers responded to Moriarty’s home for a 911 call from a man who said he had shot someone and would hurt police if they showed up.
Moriarty stepped outside and saw several officers with helmets and rifles.
“That’s when I knew,” he said, “I had been swatted.”