Just saw a report of a RW advocate who was the victim of a "Swatting" in Texas. Due to the guy being awake at 230 AM and having a door camera, neither he nor the Police were injured. I believe those who do these swatting calls need to be charged with-AT LEAST-attempted murder and get at least 20 years of hard time. For those ignorant of the term-swatting means fraudulently reporting a shooting or hostage situation or armed robbery at the home of someone the instigator wants to be raided by the police
I think it would depend on whether the court can prove the SWATter understood the full ramifications of their actions. Some of these events lately are literally just the cops showing up and knocking on the door, asking if everything is OK. Its not unreasonable to conclude some morons out there expect that is all that would happen. I don't think attempted murder would be a justifiable charge. But there are people calling in SWATtings who hope someone and their family all get mowed down by the cops. In those cases, attempted murder charge is not only justified but also obligatory imo. Gonna be hard to figure out.
In Florida the penalty is up to 20 yrs depending on the outcome. If someone gets hurt, or killed, then the 20 yrs seems ok Florida Swatting Laws, Penalties, Fines, and Defenses "Swatting" in Florida and Federal laws https://www.muscalaw.com/blog/flori...idered,murder, depending on the circumstances. Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), there were 123 swatting incidents reported in the state in 2020 alone. This represents a 46% increase from the previous year. The FDLE also reported that these incidents resulted in over $400,000 in property damage. Swatting is a serious crime, and those who engage in this behavior can face severe legal consequences. In Florida, swatting is considered a felony offense, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Additionally, those who engage in swatting may also face charges for other crimes, such as making false reports to law enforcement, assault, and even murder, depending on the circumstances. One of the challenges of prosecuting swatting cases is identifying the perpetrator. Swatters often use techniques such as caller I.D. spoofing or anonymous email accounts to avoid detection.
I would say it depends on the outcome. If no one is injured, mandatory one year in county jail - no time off for good time, no early release. If anyone is injured, 5 years in prison. If anyone is killed, life or death penalty depending on aggravating factors.
I am fine with charging them with something, but some of this happens because the police are a bit gung ho going into these calls too.
I have never been a fan of no-knock raids and would like to see them abolished. The main reason for no-knock raids seems to be the fear that drug dealers will flush all their drugs if they have warning of a police raid. But so what? Maybe the police should see "forcing drug dealers to flush their stash" as enough of a victory.
agreed. but there is no easy answer since there are so many variables to a police raid. and the sad thing is this-if the homeowner-who has done nothing wrong, kills a cop, there should be no charges but a "good guy" is dead. Thus the "swatter" should get the same penalty as if he shot the police officer
It depends on the situation, obviously. If someone intentionally and falsely calls law enforcement on someone, there should be jail time. Period. Especially for SWAT. Now, that doesn't absolve any subsequent actions by the victim. But up to 20 years sounds fair for swatting in such circumstances, especially if someone is injured or killed. I don't support the death penalty for it, since I'm not enough of a statist to support the death penalty, but there could certainly be situations where a life sentence is warranted. Here in Texas, you can be charged with homicide if you are involved in a felony in which someone dies. Doesn't matter if you didn't kill anyone yourself. Doesn't even matter if it was one of your own co-criminals who died. I'd like to see something like that apply here.
Soros' Southampton, NY, estate latest to fall victim to fake 911 'swatting' call https://www.foxnews.com/us/soros-southampton-ny-estate-latest-fall-victim-fake-swatting-call and Shenna Bellows, Maine's secretary of state, was swatted after she disqualified former President Trump from the state's 2024 primary ballot.
I don't care who does it or for what reason. people who do this need to get hammered by the courts. and then put in the poorhouse after a civil judgement against them
