As of July 1 Georgia has rolled out a new tactic in the fight against the dangerous prank known as swatting—by making it a felony. The goal of Senate Bill 421 is to tamp down on the uptick in swatting incidents plaguing the state, which often result in massive and unnecessary law enforcement deployments, including SWAT teams, to the homes of unsuspecting residents, according to the Georgia Recorder.
Swatting, where a person falsely reports an emergency to elicit a heavy police response, has not just rattled communities but also targeted politicians such as Georgia’s Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, multiple times at her Rome residence. It was in the shadow of Christmas lights that several Georgia lawmakers found themselves in the crossh.airs of this intrusive tactic—State Sen. Clint Dixon among them.
The harsher penalties of the law, which include up to five years in prison for a first offense, sailed through the Georgia General Assembly, passing with massive bipartisan support. It represents a shift in legislative attitude that sees swatting not merely as a prank, but as a serious and potentially deadly act. "If it is to a residence or a government building or a court, it becomes a felony first offense, punishable with prison up to five years," Dixon said, as detailed in an interview by the Georgia Recorder. Subsequent offenses carry even stiffer penalties.
The reality of swatting is that it's a serious business. The perpetrators, leveraging the anonymity afforded by technology, orchestrate their attacks sometimes from miles away, or even from a different country. As a result, uncovering the culprits behind these calls becomes a formidable task for law enforcement and prosecutors alike. "You can have spoof phone numbers; you can do it through the internet," remarked Peter Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, in a report by the Georgia Recorder. The new law also mandates that those convicted of swatting pay restitution for the damage and resources wasted.
For those who find themselves the target of swatting, the safest course of action, according to law enforcement officials, is to cooperate promptly and fully. "Open up the door and make yourself visible right away, and invite them inside, and just listen to whatever they tell you to do," Dixon recommended as the steps for someone faced by a team of SWAT officers due to a swatting situation, as told to the Georgia Recorder. The intent is to resolve the situation safely for both the unsuspecting residents and the first responders.
With this move, Georgia is setting a precedent that could potentially inspire similar legislative efforts across the country. The new law is an attempt to adapt to the evolving landscape of technology-facilitated crime, and a signal that the state will no longer tolerate the dangerous deceptions of swatting.
