Swatting Starts and Ends with Technology

What is Swatting?

By Glenn G Norling

What started as a tactic utilized by online gamers against other players, swatting involves a false report of a violent threat or incident designed to generate a significant law enforcement response, with law enforcement believing a violent crime has occurred, or is in the process of occurring.

A single individual can make hundreds of calls. Often when they see this large law enforcement response, they can be inspired to make even more hoax calls.

Swatting Incidents and Victims

• The earliest recorded case of swatting happened in 2002.
• In 2017, in a swatting incident involving a dispute over video game “Call of Duty: WWII” a man was shot and killed by police after exiting his home. The officer that shot the man didn’t know that a caller had falsely reported a homicide and hostage situation. One perpetrator was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and a second was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
• A Wisconsin man and his family has been swatted more than 40 times after he said in an offhand Twitter post in 2018 that he didn’t think that comedian Norm Macdonald was funny.
• In 2020, a Tennessee man died of a heart attack during a police response to his home for a fraudulent report of a shooting.
• Schools in virtually every state have been targeted since the fall of 2022.
• Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a professor of history and Italian studies at New York University, stated: “These are tactics that terrorists have used in the past to disseminate chaos and fear with fake bomb threats — they’re not new tactics.”
• In mid-December 2023, a spree of swatting incidents at more than 200 schools and Jewish synagogues occurred that is believed by the FBI to have been a coordinated effort by foreign actors.
• In late December of 2023, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly’s home was swatted. A 911 call was made just before 9 p.m. on December 30, claiming there had been a shooting had occurred inside the residence. An Arlington County Police Department incident report stated that: “Responding officers made contact with the occupant of the residence, determined no shooting had occurred and that there were no injuries associated with the call for service.”
• Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), a member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee whose home was also swatted in December of 2023, recently introduced legislation to prohibit “swatting” hoaxes and impose severe penalties, up to a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
• Republican Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley, numerous members of Congress, and billionaire George Soros have all been recent victims of swatting hoaxes.
• In addition to individual victims, swatting has become a widespread threat that also impacts schools, hospitals, houses of worship, and shopping malls across the nation.
• The FBI recently arrested a California teenager who was allegedly running a swatting-for-hire scheme, who was responsible for hundred of swatting calls throughout the county.

Some Simple Indicators of a Swatting Call:

• The call is the only incoming call reporting an active shooter or ongoing emergency. If a shooting has actually occurred or an active scenario is unfolding, numerous calls to 911 from witnesses or victims would be expected.
• The incoming telephone number is spoofed, blocked or otherwise incorrect.
• The call is received on a non-emergency (and non-recorded) dispatch line.
• The caller’s tone and the background noise is inconsistent with the claimed emergency or threat.
• The caller is unable to answer details such as their full name, phone number, or current location. Swatting callers may attempt to provide descriptions of buildings found through images on social media or via internet searches.
• The caller mispronounces names such as city, street, or building names. Swatting calls are often conducted by foreign perpetrators with thick accents who are unfamiliar with the local areas they target.
• The caller uses specific gun names or terminology to identify their weapon. Swatting callers may refer to weapons commonly depicted in video games, such as an AR-15 assault rifle.
• Gunshots or explosions in the background are inconsistent with other noise or sound fake.
• The caller may claim to be armed or suicidal and willing to shoot law enforcement.

FBI Director Talks Partnerships with Sheriffs

Director Wray speaks on a panel during the Major County Sheriffs of America 2024 Winter Conference in Washington, D.C., on February 9, 2024.

FBI Director Christopher Wray spoke with the sheriffs of the U.S.’s most populous counties about violent crime, extremism, border security, election security and swatting, according to an FBI press release on February 15, 2024.

Director Wray concluded his talk with swatting, a crime “that seems to be growing all the time,” he said. To combat it, the FBI has prioritized providing resources and education.

In May 2023, a common operational picture was set up to track swatting and understand its characteristics. Today the group includes 700 members from 350 agencies, and more than 600 incidents have been tracked.

This was so we could improve training, he said. And since the first of year, the FBI has trained around 24,000. Beyond this, he added, we have to work toward imposing consequences because “the bad guys think they can get away with it.”

“Swatting incidents are expensive; they’re dangerous; and they put innocent people at risk,” Director Wray concluded, “and it’s going to take all of us working together to stop them.”

Technology Solutions Combatting Technology Vulnerabilities: Mitigation

Anytime a swatting call is made, reports of gunshots, explosions, other violence can be immediately verified as legitimate or false though technology. The use of these integrated security technologies provides a reliable and comprehensive ability to evaluate and communicate threats or hoax reports to both law enforcement and to everyone at your location.
The Active Shooter Prevention Project is proud to partner only with these state-of-the-art and industry-leading technology solution providers:

SCYLLA brings a spectrum of industry-leading AI solutions to clients: Gun Detection, Intrusion Detection and Perimeter Protection, Object Detection and Tracking, and Anomaly Detection and Behavior Recognition. Scylla Gun Detection operates effectively in diverse environments, and is compatible with PTZ, mobile, and drone cameras. Their proprietary, patented video-optimized object detection algorithm ensures an extremely low false-positive rate, guaranteeing highly sensitive and accurate firearm detection, and can be seamlessly integrated with main-in-the-field video monitoring and surveillance solutions. https://www.scylla.ai/

EAGL Gunshot Detection: The EAGL Technology’s patented system reacts during an active shooter event (Indoor or Outdoor) by capturing energy levels with acoustic characteristics and performing on-board sensor waveform analysis. EAGL Technology’s patented gunshot detection system that analyzes energy vs. heat or sound makes it the most advanced active shooter system ever developed. https://eagltechnology.com/

Omnilert Gun Detect brings reliable, 24×7 monitoring to existing security cameras, creating a widely deployable early gun detection & response activation solution. Omnilert’s Emergency Communications and Automation Platform shares needed intelligence through automatic activation of emergency response plans and safety systems. Detailed situational intelligence is dispatched to police and onsite security teams throughout an incident for a rapid and much more effective response. https://www.omnilert.com/

MidPoint Technology Group: Technologies designed to integrate seamlessly with existing safety protocols to detect and prevent potential threats and provide real-time, actionable intelligence. Perimeter Security, Access Control, Live Video Monitoring, Gun Threat Detection, Gun Shot Detection, Threat Detection Analytics, Ballistic Window Laminates, Ballistic Wood & Glass Products, and Security Software Applications. https://midpointtechnologygroup.com/

In the realm of security, where technology vulnerabilities can pose significant risks, the integration of cutting-edge solutions is paramount. By leveraging state-of-the-art technologies from industry leaders like Scylla, EAGL Gunshot Detection, Omnilert, and MidPoint Technology Group, the Active Shooter Prevention Project ensures a robust defense against potential threats. These advanced systems not only enable immediate verification of emergency situations but also facilitate swift and effective communication with law enforcement and on-site personnel. With these innovative solutions at our disposal, we are better equipped to mitigate risks and safeguard our communities against emerging security challenges.

References
https://therecord.media/cisa-jen-easterly-swatting-incident
https://www.npr.org/2024/02/02/1228541386/growing-list-of-public-and-private-people-are-being-targeted-by-swatting-attempt
https://www.businessinsider.com/political-targets-swatting-increasing-anti-government-terrorism-authoritarianism-trump-expert-2024-1
https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/fbi-director-talks-partnerships-with-sheriffs
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fbi-formed-national-database-track-prevent-swatting-rcna91722
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4370415-fbi-memo-suggests-swatting-spree-targeting-jewish-institutions-linked/