The Seattle police department is launching a new opt-in registry to combat the recent and often tragic phenomenon of swatting, which is a false emergency report made against an innocent individual with the goal of having armed police show up at their door.
Such harassment is not new, but rather the contemporary shift to being associated within the gaming industry is what makes the situation unique. The results of these acts can result in the injury of the target, and even death, since the police may be under the impression that the individual they seek is armed and dangerous. This was the case in 2018 when Andre Finch was killed by a police officer in Wichita. The man who initiated the incident was promptly arrested and is awaiting trial.
The Seattle police have released a blog to both describe what swatting is and how it can impact one’s life. They then invite concerned individuals to opt-in to their registry, where those that are concerned about being the victims of swatting can communicate those concerns. They will be using a program named Rave Facility in conjunction with another named SMART 911 and describe a scenario where a 911 operator receives a report of a critical incident. While first responders are dispatched to the location, the operator at the same time checks to confirm if swatting has been listed as a concern and registered at that address within these programs. That information would be shared with officers if it is available.
From there, the police state that one need only register and create a profile within the Rave Facility. While this is a good first step towards the issue at hand, it has a long way to go to be an ideal solution. The very fact that individuals need to opt-in is already problematic, for unless there is an effective awareness campaign to go along with the launch of the program, the target group of individuals may not even be made aware of its existence. There is also the question of self-evaluating if one considers swatting to be a legitimate risk to them. It is doubtful that most victims of swatting could ever believe that another person would initiate such an irrational and potentially fatal action against them, and may not even consider the registry as something they need to look into.