Posted: | February 7, 2013 12:11 PM |
---|---|
From: | Senator Vincent J. Hughes |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Responding to fake 911 calls/"Swatting" |
In the near future I will be introducing legislation to increase penalties for making false reports to public safety agencies to address “Swatting.” Swatting involves making a fake 911 emergency call in order to draw a response from law enforcement, usually a SWAT team, or emergency service personnel. According to the FBI, these cases are often sophisticated schemes where the caller manipulates computer and phone equipment to make calls to 911 operators and uses “spoofing technology” to make it look like the calls are coming from the actual victims. Based on legislation recently passed in Michigan, my bill would amend 18 Pa.C.S. §4905 (relating to false alarms to agencies of public safety) by increasing the penalties for communicating a false report to: • A felony of the third degree if the false report results in a response to address the report and an individual incurs bodily injury as a proximate cause of lawful conduct arising out of that response. • A felony of the second degree if the false report results in a response to address the report and an individual incurs serious bodily injury as a proximate cause of lawful conduct arising out of that response. • A felony of the first degree if the false report results in a response to address the report and an individual is killed as a proximate cause of lawful conduct arising out of that response. In addition, courts would be authorized to order a person convicted or adjudicated to pay the state or local government unit’s costs of responding to the false report, including the use of police, fire, medical or other emergency response personnel, vehicles and teams. Costs would include the costs of salaries, wages or other compensation of any responder for time spent responding to the false report and prosecuting the offender, and costs of supplies and equipment used in responding to the false report. Similar authority to impose such costs exists in 18 Pa.C.S. §2715 (relating to threat to use weapons of mass destruction). Responding to fake 911 calls not only costs communities money, it puts residents in danger by taking law enforcement and emergency service personnel away from real emergencies. Police, firefighters and other first responders are also put in danger in rushing to the scene and through potential altercations with unsuspecting residents who may try to defend themselves. I believe strengthening the provisions of our law will provide greater protection to our communities by creating a greater deterrent for those who may seek to engage in this activity. Please join me in sponsoring this legislation. |
Introduced as SB671