Sen. Chambliss Demands DOJ Investigation of Attacks Against Political Commentators

Today, there’s a new, much more serious twist on this old crime. It’s called "swatting," and it involves calling 9-1-1 and faking an emergency that draws a response from law enforcement—broadly speaking a SWAT team.

Needless to say, these calls are dangerous to first responders and to the victims. The callers often tell tales of hostages about to be executed or bombs about to go off. The community is placed in danger as responders rush to the scene, taking them away from real emergencies. And the officers are placed in danger as unsuspecting residents may try to defend themselves.

These dangerous hoaxes, as well known as "SWAT-ting," occur when a perpetrator contacts local police to report a violent incident at a target’s home. These callers are believed to utilize voice-over IP and other less-traditional telecommunications methods to make the call appear to come from the target residence and to hide the caller’s true identity.