Rep. Engel On Today's Anti-Swatting Act Hearing

Statement From Rep. Engel On Today’s Anti-Swatting Act Hearing

     Congressman Eliot L. Engel, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, released the following statement on today’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing on seven communications bills, including the Anti-Swatting Act, which Engel introduced in 2015:

“’Swatting’ refers to the act of provoking law enforcement to respond to a phony emergency. The act gets its name from the SWAT teams that are often deployed to respond to these hoaxes. 

“Though swatting might sound like a prank, its consequences are no laughing matter.

“According to the FBI, a single SWAT team deployment can cost thousands of taxpayer dollars. Swatting also risks injury to the unassuming victims who are present when law enforcement arrives at a supposed crime scene, as well as to the officials who arrive on the scene, anticipating danger. On top of that, swatting wastes law enforcement’s precious time, keeping them from responding to actual, life-threatening emergencies.

“I introduced H.R. 2031, the Anti-Swatting Act, to address these very serious risks.

“The Anti-Swatting Act would expand on the Truth in Caller ID Act, which Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Emeritus Joe Barton and I introduced and was signed into law in 2010.

“My bill would increase penalties for people who falsify their caller ID information to mislead law enforcement. This technological trick – called ‘spoofing’ – allows swatters to make law enforcement believe they are calling in an emergency from a different phone number or location. In addition, my bill would force swatters to reimburse the emergency services that squander valuable funds responding to their invented emergency.

“I introduced this bill last year, following a string of swattings in my district. Incidents have also occurred in Tennessee, Ohio, New Jersey, North Carolina – the list goes on. My goal is to dissuade potential swatters from wasting taxpayer money and law enforcement resources and – most importantly – from putting their neighbors and emergency response teams in harm’s way.

“I’m grateful the Chairman Walden and Ranking Member Eshoo of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee for convening today’s hearing, and I remain hopeful the Committee will move swiftly on this bill to keep additional communities from falling victim to these despicable crimes.”