First, a definition for those few who don’t know the term swatting: Swatting is causing a police SWAT team to attack someone based on the false report of a dangerous or violent situation (e.g., a bomb threat or hostage-taking). The false report can be made by any means, but most often it is done by calling 911 (emergency dispatch center).
Now for the facts:
1. 911 calls from landline phones and cell phones cannot be spoofed, so dispatchers see the caller’s correct location and phone number.
2. 911 calls from VoIP devices (Voice over Internet Protocol) can be spoofed, so a VoIP call should raise a red flag that it is fake.
3. 911 dispatch can tell whether the call they receive is from a phone or from a VoIP device (a computer, a VoIP phone, or a normal phone connected to a VoIP adapter).
4. In most cases, all that is needed to tell a hoax from a true emergency is calling the phone number associated with the address given by the 911 caller.
Keep the above in mind when you read this description of a recent swatting:
On December 27, Wichita Police Department in Kansas got a 911 call from a VoIP device.
On the basis of this VoIP call, police went to the house address given by the caller. Mr. Andrew Finch, who lived in the house, seeing flashing lights outside, came to the front door and was shot dead by a police officer. Police claim they told him to “to put his hands up,” but that he reached for his waist, so they shot him. Body cam video shows different, namely that no command “to put his hands up” can be heard and that he was shot when he raised his hand to his eyes, perhaps being blinded by police lights. See it for yourself.
After checking Andrew Finch’s dead body for weapons and not finding any, police officers handcuffed his mother, Lisa Finch, her roommate and her granddaughter, “who witnessed the shooting and had to step over her dying uncle’s body, placed everyone into separate police cars, and took them downtown for interviews.” Interviews about what?
Now police want the public to believe their dispatchers cannot immediately tell whether a 911 call comes from a phone, or from VoIP. As if there are no APIs for doing just that. They also want the public to believe they can’t instantaneously find a phone number associated with the address given by the 911 caller.
What do you think? Why didn’t the police bother to check the source of the call, and why did they kill an innocent man and terrorize and humiliate his family?
Even though the above post is not about an anonimous tip but rather a false report and a faked id, keep in mind that a respectable police treats anonimous tips first as potential pranks or provocations, not as excuses to get some action.
How can a 911 dispatcher tell a VoIP call from a phone call?
There are APIs for doing just that. See https://www.searchbug.com/api/identify-phone-number.aspx
I’ve responded to countless 9-1-1 hang up calls made through a VOIP system.
Those are not countless, and can be tracked. The issue is getting the tech implemented, and actionable.
This is bullshit – if I made that same shot while on active duty in the military under similar circumstances and presented the same lame justification, I’d be facing a courts martial. Police need to stop training their guys with the “we risk our lives so we can do what we want!” attitude. I know for a fact it’s possible to react differently – I’ve had to do it under pressure; they can too.
I agree our military rules of engagement differ significantly from leos where some departments even have a financial incentive to kill people.
I didn’t realise the police were so far away, had cover, and had long firearms. Even if Andrew had had a pistol (as a long firearm wouldn’t have fitted in his waistband) he was too far away from the police to be accurate- it was night, and they were behind vehicles with more accurate weapons- they would have been safe. Under these circumstances they could have allowed some more time to see what was in his hand before taking the shot.
Swatting is an internet prank/crime where someone finds your address either through your IP or because your name and location is known. Then they call 911 anonymously and report a fake emergency.
To send the police on you through 911 all it takes for someone is to find your address. Your name and phone number are not needed as the police will not bother to check if the 911 call is for a real emergency. Why should they bother–they have impunity.
This reads, sadly, just (exactly) like an incident from a John Grisham novel I read recently (“The Bad Lawyer” I believe, but I may err – having read a few to my wife). Grisham is known for an almost paranoic attention to detail and reading the novel may give some insight into sordid aspects of our law system (US). Argh. I always suspected his novels were based in fact, but had not expected such an exact match.
I advise everyone to remove as much personal information about themselves and those they care about from the internet as possible. Do not advertise your private and personal activities, delete your social media accounts (after reseeding them with completely neutral and very false information) and make sure you are NOT predictable in your actions and behaviour.
Protect your family!
because they like to get some action, like shoot somebody. to put notches on their belts.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/swat-team-raids-wrong-house-tackles-wrong-man/ar-AAxO9md?OCID=ansmsnnews11
The wrong house and the wrong man.
Law enforcement agents broke into a family’s home, threw flash-bang grenade into a child’s bedroom, which blinded and deafened the child. They blew out a ceiling and burned the living room, tackled the child’s father and then, after a few minutes of terrorizing the family, the agents and SWAT team realized they had the wrong address. Law enforcement said, “you had a white car so we just got your house. It looked similar.” Impunity breads irresponsibility.