Seattle PD Launches a Resource for those Fearful of being Swatted

Of all the amazing things that gamers have innovated, easily the worst is the practice of “swatting”, a “prank” where you call the cops on someone and make up some story to compel a SWAT team to invade their home. Which, really, is just one of the worst things you can do, as you waste the police’s time, cause a lot of damage, and hey, might even traumatize and/or kill some people in the process. And while swatting isn’t unique to video games (lots of non-gamers have been swatted as well), we are the jerkknobs who “invented” it, so that’s why this story is getting attention from me.

In any case, it seems as if the Seattle PD has been played one too many time by swatters, because it’s been noted that they recently launched a brand new resource for people that suspect they’re in danger of being swatted.



This resource allows concerned individuals to create a profile for themselves and volunteer data to the Seattle PD, which will flag them as having “swatting concerns.” Being flagged by the system doesn’t mean the police won’t respond to calls, however: it just means that the officers will be told of your concerns and will take extra care not to do anything rash or risky.
 

“While ensuring first responders are dispatched to that call for service as quickly as possible, the call taker will simultaneously check for whether or not swatting concerns have been registered at that address. If swatting concerns have been registered, this information will be shared with responding officers, who will still proceed to the call.”

To date, only a small handful of people have been hurt or killed in swatting incidents, but that’s still far too many people. Hopefully, this resource will help Seattle locals, at least, avoid any undeserved tragedy.