The primary aim of this proposal, brought before the House on June 7, 2023, by Mr. Kustoff, Ms. Stefanik, Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Stauber, and Mr. Cuellar, is to amend title 18 of the United States Code, the section that deals with America’s criminal and penal law.
It targets a specific type of conduct: the act of falsely communicating emergencies to trigger a response from law enforcement or other emergency services. This proposed legislation is aimed at preventing what’s commonly known as ‘swatting,’ where intentional false reports of emergencies can cause distress, waste resources, and in some cases, result in dire consequences.
Imagine a situation where, due to a prank call reporting a non-existent fire, the local fire department rushes to a site, only to find no fire but a very surprised and confused resident. During this same period, a real fire could be burning elsewhere, threatening lives and property.
Our lawmakers propose meting out penalties to individuals who engage in this deceptive conduct. In fact, the punishments are severe and proportional to the fallout of the false communication. If no harm, then a fine or up to 5 years imprisonment awaits. If someone gets seriously hurt, the prison time ramps up to 20 years. And in the tragic scenario where someone dies due to an unnecessary emergency response triggered by a lie, the caller could face a life sentence.
But the bill doesn’t stop there. It covers another base by allowing civil actions. This means that those who incur costs related to the unnecessary emergency or investigative response – say, the cost of mobilizing a SWAT team or evacuating a building – can recover those expenses.
The legislation isn’t just focused on the ‘what,’ but also the ‘how.’ Any conveyance of misleading information, whether by mail or other means of interstate or foreign commerce that could realistically cause an emergency response, could land the culprit in hot water.
So, who’s going to bear the brunt of all this? For one, pranksters who find joy in pulling emergency switches might need to find a new hobby. But at a broader level, this legislation plans to reduce unnecessary strain on emergency service providers, both public and private, including fire, rescue and crime-fighting agencies. Time and resources dedicated to false alarms can instead be directed towards genuine emergencies.
The bill, on being introduced in the House, was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. The next step would involve a detailed study, then voting before potentially moving to the Senate for consideration and then possible executive approval.
Ultimately, the Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act of 2023 seeks to ensure public safety by discouraging false alarm pranks that waste resources and potentially endanger lives. After all, for our busy firefighters, police officers, EMTs, and others in the emergency response world, every second certaintly counts!
