Under the Knife: Swatting, a Deplorable Crime

A lingering trend has come to my attention recently. Apparently, this trend has gained traction since 2013 and has grown into something new. The trend I'm referring to (and which is titled above) is called "Swatting". What is Swatting? Swatting is the false reporting of a violent or ongoing crime at a designated location or by a victim whose sole purpose is to get a huge emergency response (preferably a SWAT team) to the false 911 call. I would like to call Swatting the flailing of one's hands and arms at pestering insects, but beggars can't be choosers in the case of what I just described. I hope I do not have to clarify to anyone reading this that Swatting is not a harmless prank. It is a despicable and malicious crime that both the public and law enforcement must educate themselves more on.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Although the term "Swatting" was first seen in 2008 and used by the FBI to describe the crime as such, the first consistent incidents of Swatting began in 2013. The victims of Swatting were mostly celebrities and politicians. As the year progressed, places of business and even institutions of learning became victims of Swatting criminals. What does Swatting have to with video games? Well, now in 2014, Swatting has evolved into cyber crime. Primary victims of this version of Swatting are mainly gamers streaming on Twitch or just playing online. Perpetrators who conduct the Swatting crime identify their victim's IP address and can even get more details of their location as well. They use disposable phones and even voice disguising apps to commit this crime.

It disturbs me that someone could be so blatantly ignorant and stupid to think that making a fake 911 call on someone will be a harmless or humorous prank, but it is anything but that. It disturbs me even more when someone does this kind of crime out of spite for their victim. What these people are essentially doing is putting both the officers and victims of Swatting in harms way to extremely dangerous levels. To date, there has not been a reported fatality or injury that occurred from a Swatting crime. I am relieved to be able to write that. The problem is that Swatting has not seen an end.

In fact, it seems that Swatting is a growing crime in North America. In one article I read, it states that the FBI estimate that there are "around 400 Swatting attacks a year". They put together this number via "local law enforcement calls received about once a month; interviews of individuals arrested; and a review of social media with perpetrators bragging about it". There are multiple recent videos that can be seen on Youtube and many more articles around the web that show that Swatting crimes are still going on. I have linked two below that were published this month to show as such.

http://sanfrancisco.cbsloca...

http://www.courant.com/comm...

Swatting is by no stretch of the imagination a big problem. There are many consequences that come from a fake 911 call. Said consequences can be more so dire given the inclusion of SWAT. For those not aware of the police equivalent of a special forces unit in both the United States and Canada, Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) is the answer to homegrown incidents that are too pressing and violent for a beat cop to handle on their own. Hostage situations, armed robbery, bomb threats, riots, counter-terrorism, and high risk arrests are among the kind of operations SWAT officers deal with. As such, these officers (like the ones pictured up top) are armed to the teeth in order to be ready for anything that may happen. They take extra precautions by cordoning off the area of the ongoing crime and evacuate any civilians within the perimeter. All that is left are the authorities, the perpetrators, and possible civilians who were caught in the middle of the crime.

Just imagine these guys surrounding your house while you're streaming on Twitch. They think there's an armed gunman who killed his family in your home. You think you're having a nice evening playing and streaming a game with an audience size of a little over five hundred. Neither party knows what is happening on the opposite side of the door. Next thing you know, you have assault rifles pointed at your head with SWAT demanding you get on the ground. Congratulations, you just got the scare of your life and now you have to explain what happened to the police for possibly a good number of hours. Meanwhile, the blockhead who called in the phony report on you is laughing at your misfortune.

I think at this point, dear reader, you understand of the heavy implications that this crime has. Emergency responders' time is wasted, people are put in a dangerous situation, people who actually need help may not get it because of the fake call diverting resources away, roads can be closed down, neighborhoods cut off, and unnecessary stress are the results of immature individuals trying to get a laugh or just being downright heinous. There is no excuse for this type of behavior. More often than not, the perpetrator of a Swatting incident is less than seventeen years old.

Anyone and I mean anyone who commits this type of crime should not get a free pass or a slap on the wrist. If someone is old enough to use a phone to call emergency services and make up a situation that sounds too volatile to ignore, then they know damn well what they are doing. Their intent is to make someone else miserable and be put under an insurmountable amount of stress for the sake of humor or malevolence, while manipulating the police like they are pawns on a chess board. There is no joke to be found here. There is only danger in a situation like this.

Needless to say, Swatting is a growing problem in North America. Everyone has to do their part to keep others informed. Share these stories and let others know of the new risks when streaming online. I don't want to see good fellow gamers become victims of vindictive teenagers. I don't want anyone to get hurt or worse because of this pointless crime being concocted by an immoral scumbag. If you have family or friends in law enforcement, tell them about this so they can tell their fellow officers. The more aware 911 operators and law enforcement are of Swatting, the less satisfaction is given to these immature people. Better yet, said individuals will most likely get caught and punished appropriately, which will hopefully deter others from committing this crime. This will be able to help keep the real world and the virtual world safe and stable.