SWATing, or the act of calling the cops on innocent people · 6:19pm May 19th, 2017
Swatting is a relatively new concept, but it's been going on for a couple of years now, and it's about time I addressed it. So here we go.
Obviously, we must ask, "what is Swatting?" Some people will look at that word an immediately think of smashing a bug or something similar. However, in the context I'm going to discuss, the word refers to SWAT, or Special Weapons And Tactics, a division of law and enforcement armed with military grade firearms. The act of Swatting is essentially calling the police, usually doing so via a manner that the call cannot be traced back to you, and usually claiming to be someone else at a different address, claiming to be a terrorist or criminal who has a hostage or hostages. What then generally happens is that SWAT teams will converge on the house in question, break in, and arrest the people inside.
The problem? The people who are being arrested (and threatened with lethal and loaded weapons) are not committing a crime. They're usually livestreaming on Youtube or Twitch or doing something not far off;
There are other incidents that can easily be found by just typing "Swatting video games" on Youtube. The third one in particular shows what Swatting is like for the guy suffering it, and in the description for it, it accurately describes what happens;
Here's a basic breakdown of how swatting works:
I’m sitting at my computer, streaming myself live playing video games
The person doing the swatting figures out my address somehow
They call 911 and make a serious false call like and active shooter situation or murder
Swat or the first responding officers respond like it is a real situation
I'd hoped this was dying out, but apparently I was mistaken; there was another video on Youtube that was new stating that the problem was still here. If I find it, I'll put it in the empty space below.
Honestly, as much as we might feel like blaming the police, it's not fair. They don't know it's a practical joke; if it's a bomb threat, report of a murder, or a hostage situation, they have no choice other than to respond with the force shown. The only guilty people (in the sense of this particular crime) are the ones miles if not hundreds or thousands of miles away, laughing as someone gets arrested or at least threatened by police, who have no idea that it's a practical joke.
It a disgusting practice and it needs to stop. I hope it does. The people who go through it have generally not done anything resembling a jail-worthy offense and the ones who do it are wasting taxpayer dollars and police time and resources on the pranksters' petty revenge for losing games, or because a third party leaks information or spreads lies about the target.
May God go with you all.
4538798 Yes, but not every caller is traced so easily. A few people have been caught, and are facing time in prison, but most people get away with it. And in spite of people being caught, it's still happening, and it runs the huge problem of someone (namely the victim) being shot or injured. In fact, people have been injured;
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2015/07/16/swatting-prank-ends-horribly-for-victim-and-he-has-the-injury-to-prove-it/