SWATting your enemies
May 25, 2012 9:34 AM Subscribe
"SWATting" is a new form of harassment which has the potential to get the victim killed. That happened to Patrick Frey, and his account of it makes for pretty chilling reading.
It works like this. There's someone you hate. You make a call to 911 pretending to be him, claiming that you just shot your wife and she's dead. The police send the SWAT team to his home, expecting to find a crazed killer. At the very least they roust the guy and handcuff him, but maybe if you're lucky there's a confrontation and the police kill your enemy for you. And you make your call using Skype, accessing it through an anonymizer, so that your call can't be traced.
It works like this. There's someone you hate. You make a call to 911 pretending to be him, claiming that you just shot your wife and she's dead. The police send the SWAT team to his home, expecting to find a crazed killer. At the very least they roust the guy and handcuff him, but maybe if you're lucky there's a confrontation and the police kill your enemy for you. And you make your call using Skype, accessing it through an anonymizer, so that your call can't be traced.
This post was deleted for the following reason: That's a super shitty thing to do to someone, but this doesn't seem like a great idea for a post. -- cortex
thanks for the info
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 9:38 AM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 9:38 AM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Oh Jesus really? We already know that police officers will not be prosecuted if they kill an unarmed man during a mistaken bust. Can't assholes just limit their pranks to getting people on the no-fly list?
posted by Popular Ethics at 9:40 AM on May 25, 2012
posted by Popular Ethics at 9:40 AM on May 25, 2012
It's a scary tactic, for sure, but what it really is is a stunning indictment of SWAT tactics and training if their house entries carry that much risk of death or injury to innocent players.
posted by MuffinMan at 9:41 AM on May 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by MuffinMan at 9:41 AM on May 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
Remind me again why local polices forces need to be paramilitary groups
posted by The Whelk at 9:42 AM on May 25, 2012 [11 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 9:42 AM on May 25, 2012 [11 favorites]
Because drugs
posted by BitterOldPunk at 9:43 AM on May 25, 2012 [12 favorites]
posted by BitterOldPunk at 9:43 AM on May 25, 2012 [12 favorites]
Here's what I'd like to see: actual, hard evidence that SWAT tactics and equipment have any positive effect whatsoever.
posted by adamdschneider at 9:44 AM on May 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by adamdschneider at 9:44 AM on May 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
False accusations have been going on since the dawn of human consciousness. IMO, this "new" harassment is really just about people, perhaps those who might be sympathetic to the traditional authorities, noticing and becoming alarmed at the police state frog-soup, instead of cheerfully shrugging their shoulders and saying "Well they must have been doing something wrong to have the cops raid 'em."
posted by Edogy at 9:44 AM on May 25, 2012
posted by Edogy at 9:44 AM on May 25, 2012
Wow, that's scary. It would be nice to see some other sources beyond this single blog that features Andrew Breitbart. Because when I see Andrew Breitbart I assume he's lying.
posted by benito.strauss at 9:45 AM on May 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by benito.strauss at 9:45 AM on May 25, 2012 [5 favorites]
Sensationalist stuff, but unfortunately the Breitbart affiliation makes me unable to beleive the story.
posted by humanfont at 9:45 AM on May 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by humanfont at 9:45 AM on May 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
I am outraged that this right wing Deputy District Attorney who wholeheartedly supports the police state has had the police state used on him. Or something. Needs more tinfoil.
posted by Big_B at 9:45 AM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Big_B at 9:45 AM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Uh, who's Brett Kimberlin? Google's giving nothing but hyperventilation on right wing blogs.
posted by Iridic at 9:45 AM on May 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Iridic at 9:45 AM on May 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
You don't need to know that, citizen. Just stand behind the line and place your hands on the circles.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:46 AM on May 25, 2012
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:46 AM on May 25, 2012
Because when I see Andrew Breitbart I assume he's lying.
I think you mean dying.
posted by srboisvert at 9:46 AM on May 25, 2012
I think you mean dying.
posted by srboisvert at 9:46 AM on May 25, 2012
Remind me again why local polices forces need to be paramilitary groups
So that people don't have to actually imagine "a boot stamping on a human face -- forever."
posted by rough ashlar at 9:46 AM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
So that people don't have to actually imagine "a boot stamping on a human face -- forever."
posted by rough ashlar at 9:46 AM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
If somebody called the cops via Skype/anonymizer like this and pretended to be a known drug user or dealer confessing to having drugs, could the cops then use the call as probable cause to search that person's house?
posted by jason_steakums at 9:47 AM on May 25, 2012
posted by jason_steakums at 9:47 AM on May 25, 2012
Is there any evidence that this in fact a "new form of harassment" that is taking hold, because this account just seems like a one-off conflict some nutty blogger had with another nutty blogger.
posted by modernnomad at 9:47 AM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by modernnomad at 9:47 AM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Brett Kimberlin: Nutjob who tried to kill people by leaving a bomb on the highway, now makes a living running some self-aggrandizing nonprofits and being a serial litigant.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:47 AM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:47 AM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
You can bet that in the very least, the dog of the person you do this to will be killed. Police seem to have less than zero regard for them.
posted by crunchland at 9:48 AM on May 25, 2012
posted by crunchland at 9:48 AM on May 25, 2012
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posted by Windopaene at 9:34 AM on May 25, 2012