Hundreds of US Schools Hit By Potentially Organized Swatting Hoaxes, Report Says (arstechnica.com) 60
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Within the past year, there have been approximately five times more school shooting hoaxes called in to police than actual school shootings reported in 2023. Where data from Everytown showed "at least 103 incidents of gunfire on school grounds" in 2023, The Washington Post recently uncovered what seems to be a coordinated campaign of active shooter hoaxes causing "swattings" -- where police respond with extreme force to fake crimes -- at more than 500 schools nationwide over the past year. In just one day in February, "more than 30 schools were targeted," The Post reported.
The Post "examined police reports, emergency call recordings, body-camera footage, or call logs in connection with incidents in 24 states," which seemed to reveal a "distinct pattern" potentially linking swatting hoaxes nationwide. A man who "speaks with a heavy accent" -- and possibly uses a device or app to alter his voice in real time -- relies on a virtual private network (VPN) to mask his IP address, then places the hoax calls on non-emergency lines using free Internet-calling services. He frequently pretends to be a teacher hiding from the fake shooter on campus and sometimes falsely reports student shootings. To some law enforcement officials, the voice sounds too similar from call to call to be chalked up to coincidence. The Post stitched together audio that shows why many authorities believe these hoax calls might be coming from the same caller, whose motivations are currently unknown. It's possible the hoax calls are being orchestrated by one person with a hostile compulsion or by one or several perpetrators advertising swatting services available for hire online. [...]
According to The Post, the FBI has been investigating this string of school shooting hoaxes, but it's unclear how far that investigation has gotten -- mostly because tracing the hoax calls has perplexed many law enforcement agencies nationwide. Tracing calls is difficult partly because many VPN providers outside the US don't always cooperate with law enforcement, and some of the most popular free Internet-calling services only require an email address to sign up. However, The Post reported that it has increasingly become clear to law enforcement that one particular Internet-calling service appears to be the most popular choice for hoax callers reporting school shootings: TextNow. One police captain in Lousiana, Shannon Mack -- who is described as specializing in "cases involving Internet-based phone services -- told The Post that "nine times out of 10," hoax calls she has investigated have come from a TextNow number.
The Post "examined police reports, emergency call recordings, body-camera footage, or call logs in connection with incidents in 24 states," which seemed to reveal a "distinct pattern" potentially linking swatting hoaxes nationwide. A man who "speaks with a heavy accent" -- and possibly uses a device or app to alter his voice in real time -- relies on a virtual private network (VPN) to mask his IP address, then places the hoax calls on non-emergency lines using free Internet-calling services. He frequently pretends to be a teacher hiding from the fake shooter on campus and sometimes falsely reports student shootings. To some law enforcement officials, the voice sounds too similar from call to call to be chalked up to coincidence. The Post stitched together audio that shows why many authorities believe these hoax calls might be coming from the same caller, whose motivations are currently unknown. It's possible the hoax calls are being orchestrated by one person with a hostile compulsion or by one or several perpetrators advertising swatting services available for hire online. [...]
According to The Post, the FBI has been investigating this string of school shooting hoaxes, but it's unclear how far that investigation has gotten -- mostly because tracing the hoax calls has perplexed many law enforcement agencies nationwide. Tracing calls is difficult partly because many VPN providers outside the US don't always cooperate with law enforcement, and some of the most popular free Internet-calling services only require an email address to sign up. However, The Post reported that it has increasingly become clear to law enforcement that one particular Internet-calling service appears to be the most popular choice for hoax callers reporting school shootings: TextNow. One police captain in Lousiana, Shannon Mack -- who is described as specializing in "cases involving Internet-based phone services -- told The Post that "nine times out of 10," hoax calls she has investigated have come from a TextNow number.
Corporal punishment (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Corporal punishment (Score:4, Insightful)
If there were ever a justification for corporal punishment, this is surely it. Frankly the person doing this needs to spend the rest of their life in prison, but beating the shit out of them in public first is justified. People have died from these fake police calls and while a murder who does the deed with their own hands is scarcely any better in an absolute sense, these cowards deserve a special circle of hell all to themselves.
When someone dies as a result of a fake police call, its because of something the police did in their overzealousness to be Judge Dredd.
If they weren't basically judge, jury and executioner rolled into one, you wouldn't have this problem. They are out of control.
Your police are fucking scary, even to law abiding citizens, and often seem more dangerous and crazy than your criminals.
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The cops kill an innocent person? Oh well mistakes happen. Sorry about that. They get a paid vacation and at the very worst fired. Usually they get fired and then arbitration gives their job back plus the back pay.
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Re:Corporal punishment (Score:5, Interesting)
If they weren't basically judge, jury and executioner rolled into one, you wouldn't have this problem. They are out of control.
It's less about "judge, jury, and executioner" and more about training that emphasizes:
1) Anybody, anyone, and anything is a potential threat to your life.
2) The most important thing in the world is that you go home safe to your family.
3) When in doubt, remember, "I was afraid for my life"
The profession attracts a disproportionate number of "Respect my authoritah" types. I can tell some stories about those types. Many Americans can. It's why the Cartman character was so relatable and it's how you end up with this kind of stupidity [npr.org]. There's also, very obviously, a racial element and bias in play, both explicit and implicit. The biggest problem though, IMHO, is the "War on Drugs". As with Prohibition, it drastically changed the relationship between citizen and law enforcement, to everyone's detriment. It was the War on Drugs that led to the so-called warrior cop and the aforementioned militarized training. It's the reason why cops went from carrying revolvers on their hip and a shotgun in the car to carrying high capacity pistols with an AR-15 in the car.
If you know any "old school" cops, they used to pride themselves on making it through their entire career without ever drawing their firearm, never mind firing it in anger. I have three retired cops in the family. Two made it through their whole career without ever drawing. The third had to draw but not fire. He clings to the point of pride that he delivered more babies (3) in 25 years than the total times he used his gun (1).
Today it's almost the default for the firearm to come out, or at least be ready to come out. I'm a white guy who's usually in a polo or button down, no racial bias at play when I get pulled over, and I've had cops walk up to my car with hand on gun over trivial (illegal right on red / speeding) traffic offenses. The one time I got pulled over in the American South, I got to sit there for 15 minutes while he waited for backup, commanding me via loudspeaker to stay in the car, again, for a trivial speeding offense. My car was not stolen, uninsured, or registered to someone with outstanding warrants or criminal record, yet, home boy was afraid to face me alone, in broad daylight, on the side of a busy interstate. Because I'm gonna go from zero criminal history to cop killer over a possible speeding ticket? "You'll never take me alive copper, I can't have my insurance rates go up!
They enter into every situation expecting to fight for their lives, when in reality that's a very rare occurrence, which is why this kind of shit [wikipedia.org] happens. Dude does everything right and gets wasted because the cop was a little coward convinced his death was seconds away.
Law enforcement is not even in the Top 10 [bls.gov] of most dangerous professions in America. Their training ought to fucking reflect that and not have them believing every single encounter with a civilian has them seconds away from death.
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The "war on drugs" was a horrible decision, but I'm not sure it's as bad as various RICO provisions.
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The whole situation on the west coast and drugs in America is directly related to decriminalization of drugs. We need to stop this BS. Not necessarily put them in prison, but quit releasing them on the street.
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The real question is why do so many people in America feel they need drugs to get through their life?
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Because the other part of the population feels they need to work harder this year to make less money than they made last year?
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If you know any "old school" cops, they used to pride themselves on making it through their entire career without ever drawing their firearm, never mind firing it in anger.
old school like rodney king old school? bash some negro skulls old school?
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I suspect that in days with less easy long distance communication there was a much wider variation in the culture of police departments. Certainly abusive police go back as far as historic records (well, they merge with military at around 1800, perhaps a bit later). But its also true that there are records of decent police, though far fewer of them. This MAY be selection bias.
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No, you ignorant slut, that's already new school.
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1) Anybody, anyone, and anything is a potential threat to your life.
Is it really their fault when everyone can carry a gun and often does? Paranoia is only one angry customer away...
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Guns have been a part of American culture for a lot longer than the police have been militarized. The last time the civilian police militarized was during prohibition.
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Yes, but that is not a good thing is the point. It's a bad thing.
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I'm not really seeing the relevance of the American gun debate to this particular topic. It's just an excuse for police apologists. As I said, American gun culture predates the militarization of the police, so regardless of your feelings about American gun culture, it's not topical here.
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There are multiple things that we need to do with America's LEOs, but the racists woke only want to stop LEOs.
Instead,:
1) increase, not cut, funding for them.
2) have civilians from the area that is being policed by these ppl, on the hiring board.
3) once selected from the police academy, then have them go back and take another year or longer, while working part-time, and being paid.
4) have civilians on the investigation board. This is a must.
5) require QI from the judges, lawyers (both prosecuti
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I would make it require higher education and tougher physical fitness standards too. On the second, a lot of bigger agencies already do this, but there are many that do not. One of the retired LEOs in my family thinks this is a factor in the increased use of force, cops being out of shape and afraid to grapple with suspects, so they go for the taser and/or firearm a lot quicker. I'm not sure I believe this is a major factor, I think it comes down to the training I mentioned above, but I'm sure it's at le
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This. (Score:5, Insightful)
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The police in the US have always been a political tool. In general, they have minimal training, where they can do arrest procedures, then draw down and hit the target in the center of mass. This is not their fault, but the system. Ideally, training is needed on the par with Germany or the UK, where a UK officer has a year of unarmed combat, and a German police officer has a master's in criminal justice. There, they are trained to stop people verbally. Again, this is not a fault of the police department
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The people with the power to do something about it are often white and living in "respectable" neighbourhoods, two things that work better than body armour for avoiding being murdered by the police.
They also grew up with Dirty Harry & Death Wis (Score:2)
Everything about that is wrong. The fact that he baited the guy. The shot in the back when he was in no danger. The joy everyone showed. The fact that if everyone knew he was a purse thief even back then the cops would've arrested him and tossed him in the clink long before he was a problem....
I
Re: They also grew up with Dirty Harry & Death (Score:1)
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ref: https://spotterup.com/wp-conte... [spotterup.com]
ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org] (as an example)
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Takes a lot of balls to kill unarmed men. (heavy sarcasm intended)
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And you just proved my point about how extremists, like you woke marxists, have no issue with ends justifying the means.
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Hmmm.
And you just proved my point about how extremists, like you woke marxists, have no issue with ends justifying the means.
I know its going to be hard for you, an American, to believe, but I am neither woke nor a marxist. You American conservatives throw 'marxist' around just like the left throw 'fascist' or 'nazi' around. It doesn't mean what you think it means.
Marxism is the ideology that, if you see oppression, look for the freedom that enables that oppression and control it, eg private ownership of property or freedom of speech, hence the authoritative left being more controlling than the authoritative right. Thats hardly s
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Ah yes, the big bad police. In light of the mass murders in schools over the years and police being criticized for NOT being aggressive enough I'd like to see what your solution to it all is.
Yes, your police should be more aggressive and shoot more people out of hand.
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People have died ...
How does a coward with a phone, kill people? You've left a big hole in your 'tough on crime' story. I suspect there is plenty of blame to go around. Once again, it's the criminal, however trivial, not the person with a gun, at fault.
Re:Corporal punishment (Score:5, Informative)
How does a coward with a phone, kill people? You've left a big hole in your 'tough on crime' story. I suspect there is plenty of blame to go around. Once again, it's the criminal, however trivial, not the person with a gun, at fault.
Easy. The cops do it for them. The cops roll in, guns drawn with each one yelling different conflicting instructions. One is yelling for you to get down and the other is yelling to see your hands. Doesn't matter which move you make because it's wrong and then the bullets fly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
It took nationwide protests to finally hold police accountable when they murder someone.
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You do not refrain from corporal punishment because these people would not deserve it. You refrain from it because it puts you on their level. Takes a decent and civilized person to understand that, and I guess you are lacking.
That said, why is the police still vulnerable to this attack? Have they learned _nothing_ ?
The reason "swatting" is such a problem in the US us the out-of-control police. All I would get here (Europe) is some friendly officers asking whether everything was ok. The main reason why "swa
Tyler Barriss needs a cellmate (Score:2)
Looks like he needs company in the federal pound.
Or an AI+VOIP, maybe? (Score:2)
Why not an AI?
No, not THAT AI that isn't supposed to do that--the other one.
Quick solution to this.... (Score:2)
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They can find Bin Laden or Saddam, but are unable to trace these calls? Sure.
the real causality (Score:1)
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Extremists, like so many of the woke, live with 'the ends justify the means'.
What is the value of one teenager? (Score:2)
With the assumption that this is primarily perpetuated by teenage males...
A certain number of these folks might be in difficult times of their lives, and, if intercepted now, perhaps the ship could be righted and they would become real benefits to society someday. Having said that... I usually think who you are in your early teens is mostly who you'll be for the majority of your life.
Perhaps we're best served by putting them all on a raft, gently pushing them off the western shore, and monitoring the beach
Just a SWAG (Score:2, Troll)
The other possibility is an anti-gun nut that wants to claim that LEOs with firearms are disasters.
The only other possibility is someone from another nation testing to see how to cause chaos here. But, if that was so, then why not have different voices? The only thing that I can see is that they put together an AI that sounded American to make the call.
Otherwise, this makes
Just another symptom of settings gone wrong (Score:1)
Generally useful to look at who benefits. (Score:2)
So how do you swat a hoax? (Score:2)
And what potentially organized thing is doing it?