Officials are raising concerns about swatting, a viral and dangerous national trend. After recent high profile cases in Florida, a federal response is in the works to better crack down on swatters.
Swatting is making a fake report to law enforcement that aims to generate a large response from police and Special Weapons and Tactics, or SWAT, officers.
During a recent press event, Angela Ormerod with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement told reporters that while some think of swatting as a prank, it’s actually serious and can have dangerous consequences.
“When someone calls in a false report of a crime that results in swatting there is an all-hands-on-deck response,” Ormerod said, “They might call in a hostage situation or a bomb threat or multiple homicides to get the police to arrive. So what's really important to remember about is that whoever is the victim of the swatting incident needs to stay calm because at the time law enforcement has no idea whether you're a good guy or bad guy or if this is a legit call.”
Former Florida governor and current U.S. Senator, Rick Scott (R-Florida), was recently the target of a swatting incident.
Last month, Scott posted on social media that his Naples home had been swatted.
Reports from several media sources say a caller claiming he was at Scott’s home told police he shot his wife “because she was sleeping with another dude.” He also claimed he was holding his wife's alleged boyfriend “Michael” hostage, and he planned to blow up the house with a pipe bomb unless he received $10,000.
In an interview with Newsmax, Scott says the goal of a phony swat caller is for someone to get hurt.
Now, Scott and the U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) are working together to crack down on phony swat calls. Under the Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act, a person could face a prison sentence of up to 20 years if someone is seriously hurt because of a SWAT attack.
Meanwhile, in 2021, state lawmakers passed rules against swatting. In Florida, a swat initiator can be charged with a second-degree felony if any person is injured, and a first-degree felony if anyone dies as a result of swatting.
