Politics & Government

Governor Rick Snyder Signs Rep. Heise's Anti-Swatting Bill

The bill makes the penalty for 'swatting' incidents stiffer in Michigan.

Anonymous tipsters giving false information about emergencies to police departments – who respond by sending out SWAT teams – has become increasingly popular, to the chagrin of law enforcement.

Michigan now has a law on the books to increase penalties for "swatting."

The swatting pranks cost governments a lot of money, state Rep. Kurt Heise (R-Plymouth) said in a press release. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed a Heise-sponsored anti-swatting bill into law Tuesday.

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Swatting is a new crime in which people use the Internet to report a non-existent crime in progress. Typically, tipsters use the Internet to make false emergency phone calls to 911 centers, in the hopes of getting a SWAT team or other first responders to show up at a person's address, according to the press release.

"Not only do these actions cost thousands of taxpayer dollars, they jeopardize lives," Heise said. "By reporting a bogus situation, they are endangering our first responders who believe they are entering an extremely threatening situation, and tying up resources that might be needed somewhere else."

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Under the new law, if anyone is injured in the course of responding to a fake call, the caller could be charged with a five to 10-year felony. If someone is killed during a swatting incident, they could be charged with a 15-year felony, according to the press release.

Swatting has gained popularity because of a recent rash of celebrity incidents, in which targets included pop singer Justin Bieber and actor Ashton Kutcher.


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