Is "Swatting" The Newest Trend In Gaming?

I can't help but feel that this inadvertently exposed the United States as a Police-State-In-The-Making. Or at the very least, our tendency for overreaction, some of these calls are bringing in sixty Special Task agents. I'm also particularly fond of some of the illegal search and seizures that happen too. They have no right to seize any of your property in these circumstances.


As a point of protection, I'll say that the whole "Traced I.P." bit is ***. This isn't Hackers, likely people have their Gamertag or Steam ID linked to their Facebook account, and all their personal information is right there ready to be exploited.

Why would you ever have the idea to chase people with used syringes and where would you even get them? lol...

I'll say what I thought when I first read the article:

the average police force doesn't need swat teams, and they're a threat to public safety and a severe waste of tax payers' money.

thats a good point'

it's not that hard to make a lot of that crap hidden at least on FB, it's not like it's the days of myspace before they made you able to set accounts private, ya know?

This was during my poser phase.

Short version: Couple friends found some in an empty lot and decided to chase a student-teacher with one. Except the student teacher probably thought they were seriously going to jab him with it and decided to gtfo asap.

Everyone got written up and had to verbally apologize with parents present for that mess. Luckily, I managed to only score detention since I wasn't the one actually running with a needle moreso laughing and cheering this on.

Probably shook up the poor sap, he decided to do a quick career change. Can't say I blame him. Where ever you are student-teacher, I hope you're making more than 30k/yr thanks to our stupidity!

We've also had students call in bomb threats (which have to be taken seriously), people frequently drink alcohol junior/senior year in stairwells and release pet shop mice in classrooms. >_>

It depends on the situation. Police only get basic training for the most part. Other forces are specially trained for specific circumstances that police are not trained for. Not to say they dont call swat in far to often tho...

I'm convinced the cops are just giddy when they get to put on body armor, drive the APC and pull out the big guns. *** yeah!

I'm more-so talking about their military weaponry and and the like, you know the stuff they get due to funding for the lolwarondrugs...

Short story: Kids are little *****. Doesn't matter what generation.

Thats going on the idea that these kids are smart enough to do this. If they are prank calling 911 on ppl over a video game.... then im not going to make that assumption. Hell, even those that are not or are on the receiving end... i still wouldn't assume that level of intelligence (sadly.)

around here, I'd bet on it.

bunch of rednecks.

Obviously I meant for the people on the receiving end.

It's their own fault for getting pranked if they make their information available. However obviously the level of pranking is ridiculous.

Actually most of the swat standards were changed due to that bank robbery I believe in LA where Police were completely outgunned and ended up having to go to gun shops in the area to get better weapons.

The Killdozer was also another case of the cops totally being screwed by one man on a mission to destroy an entire town.

Luckily he snagged his vehicle on a basement.

Slightly off topic, but i could only imagine being the guy working the counter that day in the gun store and seeing a whole group of frantic police men storm in screaming they need to buy the best weapons available and NOW.

I wonder how that would be handled, paperwork wise, since you know all of those regulations and all.

I guess they could have just confiscated them all, not sure how that would all work out: legally.

Clerks first impression: Zombie apocalypse inc.

They also ended up using an Armored Cash delivery truck from the bank because they didn't have anything that could hold up against the gunfire from the robbers while trying to move in to rescue the hostages.

Celebrity "swatting" is actually pretty popular and common around here...

I know that was for the Street cops, don't know if it was for Special Weapons And Tactics teams tho.

The Simpsons scene where Homer is trying to buy a gun, has the shop modeled after that shop.

lol, as they should, imo.

There's no justification for the level and cost of armament for every police force just because of rare incidents, call the national guard, they're not usually that far away.

Despite how prolific technology has become, few people still understand how to use it to their advantage.

I find Technology carries much the same philosophy as anything that has a danger outside moderation. Quoted from Christopher Hitchens: "Just make sure you get more out of it, than it gets out of you."

Good policy to have, but as long as computers have been out now, there's really no excuse.

They're literally everywhere.

Is there any means in place to actually educate the new generation in net safety and privacy compliance? I believe, it should definitely be a mandatory Late Elementary/Primary school thing. Learning how to use the internet is right up there with learning how to read these days.

I guess that depends on the area, I do know that they're throwing a lot of the PSA's on tv on at least Disney, but aside from that I'm not sure, I haven't been nor plan to have anything to do with the public school system for some time.

PSA's, the only thing skipped faster on DVRs than commercials.

Keep forgetting that I am one of the few people who don't have a DVR, then again soon I won't have TV anymore as I'm taking the cable box back in.

I love when legit CDs remind me not to pirate or those hilarious FBI warnings on old VCR tapes.

Another reason you don't put your personal information online. Especially social sites.