No, it’s not a new online game or iPhone app (wait a minute, might not be a bad idea…anyway). And it is not a charity fundraising activity (another idea with potential). It is a growing phenomenon happening in California called “Celebrity Swatting” and law enforcement and celebrities have had enough of it. While you might think that Swatting is merely the act of going up to a celebrity and slapping them across the face…you would be wrong. Swatting is when someone calls 911 and reports a false emergency at someone’s home…and celebrity swatting is when someone reports a false emergency at a celebrity’s home. Now don’t get any bright ideas….swatting has always been illegal, but now they are looking to crack down on it and stiffen the penalties.
According to the article, the most recent occurrence was on Monday when someone called with a false report of domestic violence at the Hollywood home of Chris Brown.
The new proposed penalty for swatting will be a minimum sentence of 120 days in jail. If someone gets hurt during the prank, the caller can be charged with a felony and could get up to 3 years. So unless you know a good bail bond agent and lawyer, you might want to stop swatting you favorite celebrity. BTW, we assume that the law would cover less interesting “normal people” swatting too. Read the original article below.
Original article: California bill would toughen penalties for celebrity ‘swatting’
No, it’s not a new online game or iPhone app (wait a minute, might not be a bad idea…anyway). And it is not a charity fundraising activity (another idea with potential). It is a growing phenomenon happening in California called “Celebrity Swatting” and law enforcement and celebrities have had enough of it. While you might think that Swatting is merely the act of going up to a celebrity and slapping them across the face…you would be wrong. Swatting is when someone calls 911 and reports a false emergency at someone’s home…and celebrity swatting is when someone reports a false emergency at a celebrity’s home. Now don’t get any bright ideas….swatting has always been illegal, but now they are looking to crack down on it and stiffen the penalties.
According to the article, the most recent occurrence was on Monday when someone called with a false report of domestic violence at the Hollywood home of Chris Brown.
The new proposed penalty for swatting will be a minimum sentence of 120 days in jail. If someone gets hurt during the prank, the caller can be charged with a felony and could get up to 3 years. So unless you know a good bail bond agent and lawyer, you might want to stop swatting you favorite celebrity. BTW, we assume that the law would cover less interesting “normal people” swatting too. Read the original article below.
Original article: California bill would toughen penalties for celebrity ‘swatting’