Timothy Geigner
Tech Dirt
April 30, 2014
You know what I bet law enforcement folks really hate? This whole swatting thing that sometimes happens. For those of you not aware, swatting is when you fake a call into police that results in a local SWAT team being dispatched to your victim’s residence, typically shortly followed up by you getting a not-so-pleasant visit from the authorities. It’s a really stupid thing to do, it’s dangerous, it’s criminal, and it makes you a horrible person. But when it’s all over losing in a damned video game, then it’s callous on a level too far off the charts to map.
Yes, it’s that age-old story of a person who couldn’t handle losing in Call of Duty calling in a double murder and getting SWAT to visit the winner’s home. I have a pretty sick sense of humor, and a wonderful eye for the profane, I might add, but this isn’t funny. People could have literally died. And the authorities aren’t going to screw around with this, either.
Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice issued a statement on Tuesday’s “swatting” incident, calling it an “outrageous waste of law enforcement resources and taxpayer dollars. Through a collaboration with our law enforcement partners, we will use every tool we have to track down whoever threatens public safety like this,” it said. “‘Swatting’ is a serious crime that endangers first responders and those in legitimate need of their help. We will hold any perpetrators accountable and seek restitution for the tax dollars wasted.”
I imagine that, once this person is found, a hellacious number of charges will be brought against them. Calling in a false report, misuse of public funds/authorities, public endangerment, fraud, blah, blah, blah. In the end, someone is going to have some serious trouble coming their way and they’re damned well going to deserve it. Terrifying an entire neighborhood over losing a game isn’t even childish, it’s evil. Stop it. Bad humans.
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