Swatting in Occupy and Anonymous
by Sue Basko
I know of several instances of swatting of people in Occupy
or Anonymous. All of the instances
I know of are thought to originate with the same group of racist online trolls/
harassers who are anti-Anonymous.
Swatting is when someone falsely notifies police that there
is an emergency in progress, resulting in police making an emergency response
to someone’s house. The word swat
comes from SWAT (special weapons and tactics), the SWAT squad.
Swatting is always illegal. It is illegal to file a false
police report.
Swatting is also extremely dangerous. In a recent swatting, little children
were held at gunpoint. They were
endangered and have been traumatized.
Swatting causes trauma and PTSD in adults, too. Swatting is dangerous for all involved,
even the police. Swatting is also
a huge financial drain on the local emergency services.
NOTE: I have heard several recordings of actual, full SWAT calls. They are all similar. The caller says he is in the house holding people hostage. He demands something and says he will kill someone if the demand is not met. In fact, the caller is far away, spoofing the phone number. The people in the house are endangered by the police response. In other instances, "wellness" calls are made, asking police to check on the well-being of a person who is not in any distress. While a wellness check might bring two officers, a hostage situation is likely to bring a full emergency response and is extremely dangerous and expensive.
NOTE: I have heard several recordings of actual, full SWAT calls. They are all similar. The caller says he is in the house holding people hostage. He demands something and says he will kill someone if the demand is not met. In fact, the caller is far away, spoofing the phone number. The people in the house are endangered by the police response. In other instances, "wellness" calls are made, asking police to check on the well-being of a person who is not in any distress. While a wellness check might bring two officers, a hostage situation is likely to bring a full emergency response and is extremely dangerous and expensive.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE SWATTED: If you are swatted, you will be surprised, shocked. Police arrive at your house in a state
of heightened alert. They are
ready to shoot. There may be dogs,
many vehicles, lots of guns. Police may be silent and surround the house, or they may bang on a door. It depends what story was told by the
swatter. You will be in a state of
shock and the police will be hopped up ready to go to battle. You have to think clearly and respond
appropriately.
If you are swatted, DO NOT LET THE POLICE IN TO YOUR
RESIDENCE. DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO
SEARCH. You know nothing is going
on. Do not let them in. Politely and firmly tell them several
times that everything is okay and you do not want them to search. Just keep repeating this and close the
door, if needed. Thank them, be
polite, but do not let them in and do not let them search.
Ask the police to follow up with you about who swatted
you. Pursue this. You want to catch the swatters.
If you have made that error and told the police they could
search, you can revoke that permission at any time. Clearly tell them to stop the search, that you no longer
give permission.
Sometimes a call will come from “inside the house.” That can be someone hacking in to the
phone line, especially if the phone and computer wifi are on the same optical
cable. I was swatted a while back,
and this is what happened. Police
wanted to check the house to be sure I was safe. I politely and repeatedly refused. It did freak me out with them telling me the call came from
within the house. It is the stuff
of horror movies. But logic would
tell you that if there’s a killer hiding in your house, they aren’t going to
call the police.
IF YOU WALK OUTSIDE INTO A SWATTING SITUATION or if you are
outside already when it happens:
If you are outside, the police will likely take you as a suspect. You need to listen to what they say and do it exactly and move slowly, because you risk being shot or killed. For real. That is why, if you see police arrive
at your house, you should stay inside.
Even if they detain you, you should still refuse any search of the house
or yard or outbuildings. The police
may demand an explanation or demand identification. If you left that in the house, things are going to get complicated. Try to stay calm and logical. Your life is at risk. Be smart.
AFTER YOU HAVE BEEN SWATTED: Take care of yourself. Expect PTSD to set in. Do what makes you feel safe and
comfortable. Follow through with
the police to see if you can catch the swatter. If you don’t, they’ll go on doing it to others. If you think you know who swatted you,
say so.

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