Anatomy of a SWATting;how one agency does it right.

[jbombelli]

The hilarious parts are where the guys have no idea what is going on and react as if it wasn't an actual police response and thought it was part of the sound FX from their game (gamers were wearing high end head phones). Hence my follow up comment that they were very serious situations.

Maybe I'm getting too old or something, but to me being confused about what's going on as cops bust in with guns drawn just isn't funny.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Interesting read...



What do you guys think the reason for this is? Sort of a SWATting-lite sort of thing?

Wasting resources, screwing with "the man" and/or likes to see shiny lights and hear the sirens, maybe?

 

[Twangbanger]

Interesting read...



What do you guys think the reason for this is? Sort of a SWATting-lite sort of thing?

"Since Aunt Obama won't let us bully people ourselves - we'll phone it in."

But to be fair, us grownups didn't have a dial-up jackboot ninja force to play with when we were kids, so it's kinda hard to judge.

We had to content ourselves with a family-size pack of toilet paper, a case of Little Kings, and a box of condoms.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Not often in Indy, we get a TON of incomplete 911 calls from "dead cells" with no way to call them back. We were getting "person shot" "person stabbed" kinds of runs to the same area from a 911 only cell phone, all bogus, a couple of years ago. After a hundred or so of those and many many months, detectives were finally able track it down and arrest the person doing them.

How on earth did you figure it out? Somebody snitch? Boner drone on the offending cell frequency?

 

[GIJEW]

Interesting read...



What do you guys think the reason for this is? Sort of a SWATting-lite sort of thing?

I'd heard of criminals placing bogus calls to divert PD away from where they were planning a crime

 

[vitamink]

How on earth did you figure it out? Somebody snitch? Boner drone on the offending cell frequency?

Cell phone calls can be triangulated between the towers the phone pings off of within 100 or so ft. Cell phones broadcast at 4 watts. Boner drone circles the area focusing on the 100ft threshold. Anyone in the circle on a phone at the time of the call will be rendered discernibly turgid. Police then locate the subject and take him to jail...or the hospital if rigidity has lasted for 4 hours.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Cell phone calls can be triangulated between the towers the phone pings off of within 100 or so ft. Cell phones broadcast at 4 watts. Boner drone circles the area focusing on the 100ft threshold. Anyone in the circle on a phone at the time of the call will be rendered discernibly turgid. Police then locate the subject and take him to jail...or the hospital if rigidity has lasted for 4 hours.

Sounds like a job for....Shirtless Girl!!!
(Hey, don't touch those)

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

All plausible...

Wasting resources, screwing with "the man" and/or likes to see shiny lights and hear the sirens, maybe?

"Since Aunt Obama won't let us bully people ourselves - we'll phone it in."

But to be fair, us grownups didn't have a dial-up jackboot ninja force to play with when we were kids, so it's kinda hard to judge.

We had to content ourselves with a family-size pack of toilet paper, a case of Little Kings, and a box of condoms.

I'd heard of criminals placing bogus calls to divert PD away from where they were planning a crime

 

[Gabriel]

As Denny stated, it doesn't happen here. No one can dial 911 and receive a SWAT team response. Our patrol officers are dispatched and once they determine a SWAT response is appropriate they can make the call.

This is how it happens here also. To respond directly to an unsubstantiated phone call with a SWAT team and subsequent raid is ridiculous.

 

[jblomenberg16]

Maybe I'm getting too old or something, but to me being confused about what's going on as cops bust in with guns drawn just isn't funny.

I think the most recent generation has a much different perception of reality than most of us do.

 

[Bung]

I was under the impression that a phone call or report alone was not considered reasonable suspicion. Anyone can call and report something, but unless the officers see evidence of wrong-doing themselves, wouldn't they need a warrant to enter a property?

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I was under the impression that a phone call or report alone was not considered reasonable suspicion. Anyone can call and report something, but unless the officers see evidence of wrong-doing themselves, wouldn't they need a warrant to enter a property?

It varies depending on many factors. Anonymous call vs known complainant is a big part of it, but there are a multitude of factors.

Example is the 2nd door I ever kicked in. Incomplete 911 "He's got a gun" and hang up. The house had a CAD history for domestic violence calls. Female caller. No answer at the door. After repeated attempts to make contact with them by calling the phone back, knocking, etc. my sergeant decided that based on the totality of the circumstances it was time to force entry. I kicked the door in and 3 of us went in. I found the caller in bed "sleeping" and she denied calling. Pretty quickly she admitted that she had called and that her "ex" boyfriend was now hiding in the attic and he had a handgun, which turned out to be the case.

That's the exception, but it shows that seeing evidence is simply one part of "totality of the circumstances." If probable cause exists or not is based on everything the officer knows at the time, and that includes prior history of an address, if restraining orders are in place, if a car in the driveway belongs to a different address, etc. etc.

 

[Bung]

I'm guessing the prior history on these gamers is zero.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I'm guessing the prior history on these gamers is zero.

Your question was broad, so so was my answer. No, you do not have to see evidence of wrong doing. You have to develop probable cause and believe in good faith there is an exigent circumstance to make entry without a warrant. Seeing something is a good way to reach that PC, but not the only way.

 

[actaeon277]

Man Gets Year in Prison for 'Swatting'

Man Gets Year in Prison for 'Swatting'

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Man Gets Year in Prison for 'Swatting'

Man Gets Year in Prison for 'Swatting'

Matthew Tollis a 22-year-old arrested last year in September is getting prison time for his involvement in six swatting incidents in 2014,..

They let him off easy.

 

[actaeon277]

They let him off easy.

Yes. But it's a start.