“Swatting” is a disturbing and dangerous trend. Local authorities are understandably alarmed because it is becoming more common.
Late last Wednesday night, a criminal somewhere phoned in a false 911 report. He told dispatch he had just shot his family and was going to kill himself. The caller gave officers an address in the 1700 block of South Drive in Columbus. The Republic is withholding the address because though the people who live there were not physically harmed, they are nonetheless victims.
Imagine being at home around midnight on a weeknight — perhaps you are asleep — when police roll up to your home in force. A SWAT team establishes a perimeter around your home. They think they are encountering a deranged gunman inside. Imagine how confused and terrified you would be.
There is no excuse for this. Yet the deranged people who would place such calls tend to operate with impunity. They understand how to use cellphone and digital technology to avoid being traced.
While swatters cowardly hide behind burner phones and number-masking technology, their actions put first responders and the public at risk. There already have been fatal consequences around the country when police respond to a false swatting call.
Ironically, crooks are exploiting the selfless servant spirit of emergency responders. Swatters take devious advantage of the obligation of dispatchers and police to take every call seriously and respond appropriately. First-responders are trained to do so, and the public expects no less. And in their mission to protect the public, first responders also must protect themselves.
Given scenarios like this, it’s easy to imagine how a swatting incident could go terribly wrong with catastrophic consequences.
On the same night Columbus police were dealing with a phony report of a homicidal/suicidal man inside a home in a quiet residential neighborhood, dispatchers a few hours later received a false bomb threat against Columbus Regional Health that also referenced the call to South Drive. An investigation is ongoing.
These calls follow a couple of swatting cases in Columbus last year that included a false report of a gunman inside a home. Fortunately, the residents were away, but when police arrived and announced themselves, the lack of response led them to forcibly enter the home, prepared for the worst.
We urge authorities to thoroughly investigate these dangerous cases, using all available technology to track and prosecute those suspected of making swatting calls.
In addition to the dangers to the public and to first responders, these swatting calls also put the broader community at risk. Because they divert precious resources, police, fire and other agencies’ ability to properly respond to real emergencies may be compromised.
Swatting is a terrible scenario for law enforcement and for the public, but we have little expectation that the twisted minds that would imagine creating such chaos will suddenly grow a conscience. In the absence of that, we hope law enforcement finds and prosecutes those responsible to the fullest extent of the law.
