The Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus is working on bills that will combat the act of “swatting”.
Swatting is where a person places a hoax 911 call alleging a hostage situation, shooting or some other dangerous incident that will bring out the police to the scene.
Several Republican lawmakers are working on a package of bills that would make sure those making the fraudulent reports are held accountable. One bill would make it a felony offense if anyone suffers bodily injury in the course of responding to a call. A second would give swatting victims a way to hold the person who committed the crime accountable for any damages from the incident and allow victims to sue for the recovery of damages. A third would permit courts to order a person who engages in swatting to pay costs to the authorities responding to the call. The fourth would grant civil immunity to officers responding to a swatting call.
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