3 ms·

Police are now treating swatting as a serious crime

20 points by danso 7y ago

3fe9a03ccd14ca5 7y ago
Swatting is disgusting. It’s a scourge. It’s also frightening that in our society we have people who are incapable of seeing just how wrong it is, and see it as some sort of “prank” and not attempted murder, which ruins the lives of the lost one and of the officer. I mean it not in a judgemental that the people who are calling in these incidents are sick and need help from professionals. I really hope they get the help they need before they go on in their lives and do things they regret.
mindslight 7y ago
Of course the police find it really convenient to pin the entire blame on a shithead who makes a fake 911 call, but most of that blame actually lies with the police themselves - they're the ones carrying the guns, hopped up on watching too many action movies, and generally behaving as if they're fighting some all-out ground war rather than proceeding calmly as domestic peace officers. Ultimately, there should be no need for special per-address annotations like "SWATTING CONCERNS", because every single situation should be treated with utmost caution and restraint.
- nn3 7y ago
  Yes the real problem is the police here. It would be interesting to know if this is even a thing in other countries with less militarized police forces.
- curryst 7y ago
  I came here to say this. The Seattle Public Affairs director said: "They are showing up to verify everyone is safe, not showing up with the assumption that this is Point Break" Why would they ever show up assuming that this is Point Break? The implication is extremely concerning. That kind of event happens so rarely it should never be an assumption. And that movie was even about a bank heist, not a response to someone's house. There is a severe disconnect between US police officer's view of their job, and the reality (queue that grid meme, what other people think I do, what I think I do, etc). Their on the job fatality rate is half that of sanitation workers picking up trash from the curb. It is one tenth that of logging workers. They're tied for the 14th most dangerous job with electrical power line installers. From https://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-dangerous-jobs-in-america-2018-7#6-structural-iron-and-steel-workers-29 https://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-dangerous-jobs-in-a... which uses Labor Bureau stats.

20 points by danso 7y ago

Swatting is disgusting. It’s a scourge. It’s also frightening that in our society we have people who are incapable of seeing just how wrong it is, and see it as some sort of “prank” and not attempted murder, which ruins the lives of the lost one and of the officer. I mean it not in a judgemental that the people who are calling in these incidents are sick and need help from professionals. I really hope they get the help they need before they go on in their lives and do things they regret.

mindslight 7y ago

Of course the police find it really convenient to pin the entire blame on a shithead who makes a fake 911 call, but most of that blame actually lies with the police themselves - they're the ones carrying the guns, hopped up on watching too many action movies, and generally behaving as if they're fighting some all-out ground war rather than proceeding calmly as domestic peace officers. Ultimately, there should be no need for special per-address annotations like "SWATTING CONCERNS", because every single situation should be treated with utmost caution and restraint.

nn3 7y ago
Yes the real problem is the police here. It would be interesting to know if this is even a thing in other countries with less militarized police forces.
curryst 7y ago
I came here to say this. The Seattle Public Affairs director said: "They are showing up to verify everyone is safe, not showing up with the assumption that this is Point Break" Why would they ever show up assuming that this is Point Break? The implication is extremely concerning. That kind of event happens so rarely it should never be an assumption. And that movie was even about a bank heist, not a response to someone's house. There is a severe disconnect between US police officer's view of their job, and the reality (queue that grid meme, what other people think I do, what I think I do, etc). Their on the job fatality rate is half that of sanitation workers picking up trash from the curb. It is one tenth that of logging workers. They're tied for the 14th most dangerous job with electrical power line installers. From https://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-dangerous-jobs-in-america-2018-7#6-structural-iron-and-steel-workers-29 https://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-dangerous-jobs-in-a... which uses Labor Bureau stats.