US representative Katherine Clark has been pushing to turn 'swatting,' calling in a false crime to police, into a federal offense, and her actions have resulted in unwanted attention. An unknown person reported a fake crime to the authorities, resulting in a dramatic response.
Police in Melrose, MA received a call around 10 pm regarding "shots fired and an active shooter," eliciting a rapid response from the officers in the area. When Clark went out to speak with the police, she reported men with "long guns" were standing on her lawn.
Fortunately, the call was determined to be fake, but it demonstrates just how problematic "swatting" can be.
According to Uproxx, "Katherine Clark, a U.S. representative from Massachusetts, has sponsored a bill that would make it a federal crime to call in a law enforcement agency because of a fake crime. This practice is known as swatting, and has apparently been used by some people in the online gaming community to silence criticism."
It's good to see someone standing up against these types of cyber crimes. Gamers are some of the more common victims of swatting, as many players have large groups of people following them when they stream, some of whom get a kick out of seeing the trauma inflicted on an individual who is suddenly raided by police.
Swatting is dangerous, especially when police show up heavily armed. If the victim panics, both the police and victim could be in far more danger, potentially life-threating. It's also a drain on state resources. The New York Times reports that "Richard Beary, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, said police departments around the country say swatting is on the rise. In addition to the potential for physical harm, he said, the calls divert resources from local governments."
Hopefully Representative Clark will be able to get the legislation passed to protect people from having their lives disrupted by those seeking nothing more than to humiliate and endanger innocent victims.
So what do you think about "swatting," and what should be done about it?
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