The 911 Call and 80+ Members of Congress

RedState ^ | 06/11/2012 | Erick Erickson

[iowamark]

As most of you know, my family was swatted on May 27, 2012.

The police, at the time, told me they were responding to a 911 call about an accidental shooting.

I now have the 911 call. It turns out that the call was not about an accidental shooting. The caller said I had shot my wife, she was dead on the floor in front of me, and I was going off to shoot someone else.

You can hear the call yourself right here. What I did not know that Sunday night as the Sheriff’s Deputy pulled into the driveway is that the sheriff’s dispatcher called out on the radio to “take the house,” meaning to block off any avenues of exit. There were more police officers present than I saw.

On Friday night, I spent an hour talking about this on the radio. You can listen to that here. Lee Stranahan joined me and we both are of the opinion that the voice on this 911 call is the same voice as the other calls, including into Lee’s show.

Last week, Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) asked the Attorney General to get the FBI to look into the matter. It’s clear the incident happened across state lines and also that only the FBI has the technical resources to be able to trace the call.

Today, more than 80 members of the United States House of Representatives are also sending a letter to Attorney General Holder asking for an investigation.

Below the fold, I’ve put both the letter and the names of the signers. My wife and I would like to thank Senator Chambliss and the members of both the House and Senate who have decided to pursue this matter.

June 11, 2012

The Honorable Eric Holder
U.S. Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 5111
Washington, D.C. 20530-0009

Dear Attorney General Holder:

We write you concerning the growing threat of “SWAT-ting” and its costly ramifications. These crimes occur when individuals call emergency dispatchers under the guise of another person’s name with fraudulent claims, causing local law enforcement to swarm the home of innocent Americans. SWAT-ting first arose in 2002, but as technology and the Internet has expanded, the dangers of SWAT-ting are also on the rise.

Investigators have concluded that the majority of SWAT-ting cases utilize voice over Internet (VOIP) connections between the suspect’s computer and a distant telephone network, and then dialing 911. This enables the suspect to falsify their identifying information, such as their telephone number and address, and make it nearly impossible for emergency dispatchers to identify or track the true origin of the call, or even pin-point calls from VOIP connections.

Some of these calls involve embellished schemes, including armed suspects and hostages, and in some instances, the caller claims that he has just killed someone. Moreover, the caller knowingly uses the identifying information of another person, who is usually an adversary of the caller. This elaborate hoax is all done with the goal of having law enforcement swarm the home of the caller’s foe, which only incites fear in and tarnishes the reputation of an innocent person.

Even worse, SWAT-ting is quickly becoming a scare tactic used against political bloggers, essentially stifling those bloggers’ First Amendment rights. Just last month, a popular blogger in the state of Georgia, Erick Erickson, became the latest victim of SWAT-ting. During the Erickson’s family dinner, sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Erickson’s home after receiving a 911 call reporting an accidental shooting that appeared to have come from Erickson’s address. Fortunately, Erickson previously alerted police to SWAT-ting tactics; however, numerous similar scenarios have ended with guiltless victims held at gunpoint.

While none of the SWAT-ting victims have incurred physical harm from these hate filled ploys, we are gravely concerned that future victims may not find themselves so lucky. Plus, when law enforcement officers are responding to SWAT-ting claims, resources are diverted from those truly in need–all of this because of differences in political ideology.

Differences of opinion should enrich our lives, not divide us. Each American has the right to freely express his or her ideas and should not be subject to fear tactics like SWAT-ting, which run counter to the liberty that forms the bedrock of our great nation. These crimes are not to be tolerated and necessitate thorough examination at every level.

We urge you to hold true to those promises and work to ensure that criminals using fear in hopes to preventing others from exercising their First Amendment rights are held to the highest standard of the law. To this end, we implore you to thoroughly review each of these cases, determine whether any federal laws have been breached, and prosecute those crimes accordingly.

Sincerely,

Sandy Adams
Tom Graves (R-GA)
Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
Trey Gowdy (R-SC)
Jim Jordan (R-OH)
Trent Franks (R-AZ)
Andy Harris (R-MD)
Steve Southerland (R-FL)
Joe Walsh (R-IL)
Paul Broun (R-GA)
Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA)
Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
Morgan Griffith (R-VA)
Chip Cravaack (R-MN)
Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)
Phil Gingrey (R-GA)
Dan Burton (R-IN)
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
Leonard Lance (R-NJ)
Jeff Duncan (R-SC)
Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA)
Daniel Webster (R-FL)
Allen West (R-FL)
Dennis Ross (R-FL)
Richard Nugent (R-FL)
Ben Quayle (R-AZ)
Tom Rooney (R-FL)
Todd Rokita (R-IN)
Renee Ellmers (R-NC)
David Reichert (R-WA)
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
Mary Bono Mack (R-CA)
Adam Kinzinger (R-IL)
Cory Gardner (R-CO)
Michael Grimm (R-NY)
Ann Marie Buerkle (R-NY)
Don Manzullo (R-IL)
Bob Turner (R-NY)
Jon Runyan (R-NJ)
Don Young (R-AK)
Mike Kelly (R-PA)
Tom Marino (R-PA)
Lamar Smith (R-TX)
Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
Michele Bachmann (R-MN)
Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE)
John Kline (R-MN)
Mo Brooks (R-AL)
Austin Scott (R-GA)
Pete Olson (R-TX)
Scott DesJarlais (R-TN)
Vicky Hartzler (R-MO)
Ted Poe (R-TX)
Patrick McHenry (R-NC)
Alan Nunnelee (R-MS)
Candice Miller (R-MI)
Mark Amodei (R-NV)
Kenny Marchant (R-TX)
Sue Myrick (R-NC)
Todd Akin (R-MO)
Randy Forbes (R-VA)
Paul Gosar (R-AZ)
Diane Black (R-TN)
Jeff Landry (R-LA)
Steve Stivers (R-OH)
Randy Hultgren (R-IL)
Mike Pompeo (R-KS)
David Schweikert (R-AZ)
Bill Posey (R-FL)
Steve Chabot (R-OH)
Quico Canseco (R-TX)
Bill Johnson (R-IL)
Pete Sessions (R-TX)
Tim Griffin (R-AR)
Walter B. Jones (R-NC)
Lynn Jenkins (R-KS)
Billy Long (R-MO)
Steve Scalise (R-LA)
Stephen Fincher (R-TN)
Jack Kingston (R-GA)
Scott Rigell (R-VA)
Tom Price (R-GA)
Robert Hurt (R-VA)

[Zippo44]

Actually, spoofing a specific number is easy in most Voice over IP phone systems. If you set the system to deliver the NPA-XX-XXXX of a residential line, the E911 center will get a pop up screen from their database that shows the service address of that number.

Everything then proceeds from the assumption that the number that was delivered by the phone system is indeed the one their database hass associated with the address. Hence the cops roll with no doubts cluttering their tiny neanderthal brains.

[Zippo44]

Sorry, should be NPA-NXX-XXXX

[The Angry American]

More vile and outrageous conduct from the left. My prediction? Holder will do absolutely nothing about this.

[VikingMom]

“Hence the cops roll with no doubts cluttering their tiny neanderthal brains.”

Excuse me, but that comment was totally unnecessary and unwarranted! Cops are husbands, dads, sons and brothers (or moms, sisters, etc) and when they “roll” on a suspected domestic violence call, they are laying their lives on the line and hoping to return to their families!

Keep it civil or keep it to yourself!

[G Larry]

No Dems supported the call because they know this is a liberal tactic, used only against conservatives.

Liberals have no values, thus, nothing to live up to.
Conservatives have values, thus, they are held to ridicule when they fall short.

[TribalPrincess2U]

This statement, taken out of context of course, could also apply to this post.

“It’s been a tough job. It is one that takes a lot out of you. Some raised concerns as to whether I was tough enough for this job. I think that people will hopefully see that I’ve done this job in a way that is consistent with our values.

Gee, we don't have eyes or ears? What a ^*#@#^

Values? Your definition of ‘values’ ain't worth squat.

[JimRed]

It is a good thing no one has been SHOT yet! That includes police officers when a homeowner decides to defend his home and family.

It's just a matter of time, though...

[JimRed]

My congressman’s name is not on the list. I’m going to ask him WHY!

[arthurus]

They can’t see any address at all and the rules they work under require police to be dispatched. Because they just possibly might be legitimate the police must assume they are about to get shot at. Added to that is the responders’ thrill at getting to practice their murder and mayhem training.

[Digger]

The problem is not these prank phone calls. The problem is over the top use of military style SWAT teams on citizens. The fraudsters are just exploiting an obvious and dangerously lethal out of control Police tactic.

Right on.

[JimRed]

Excuse me, but that comment was totally unnecessary and unwarranted!

Unfortunately, there are a number of knee-jerk cop haters here on FR (as well as some "LEOs are never wrong" types).

[Terry Mross]

Amen! It’s apparent a lot of cops are trigger happy. If they can’t shoot a person they’ll shoot the dog.

I also thought the dispatcher could look up the phone number of the address then call to see who answers.

[MrB]

Liberals, inherently, support using the government to steal money from people because they are too cowardly to try to steal it themselves,

so it’s a small step to using the government to kill people that they are too cowardly to try to kill themselves.

[CPO retired]

That’s how the LEOs are set up. They were set up by similar techniques at Waco. This gets the process started, and then if one of them gets shot by a home defender it’s on.

Thought control via language. Reframe a person and situation semantically. Call a man who openly states his preference not to live around a demographic group who are statistically inclined toward violence and crime a “white separatist”. Then call his cabin a “compound”. Then tell the LEOs that he is very dangerous.

They serve and protect THEMSELVES. They shoot his dog, 14 year old son, and his wife (.308 to the head) while she’s holding an infant.

It’s really too easy, isn’t it?

[trisham]

This could happen to anyone. It’s truly frightening.

[JAKraig]

“Hence the cops roll with no doubts cluttering their tiny neanderthal brains.”

Excuse me, but that comment was totally unnecessary and unwarranted! Cops are husbands, dads, sons and brothers (or moms, sisters, etc) and when they “roll” on a suspected domestic violence call, they are laying their lives on the line and hoping to return to their families!

Keep it civil or keep it to yourself!

________________________________________________________

I'm sorry but you are wrong. Cops voluntarily took a job that on rare occasion is dangerous, BUT, they are servants to the community. The community does not serve them. They are trained to defuse situations not to escalate them but often they are the escalators.

One of my sons is a cop, I tell him the same thing I am saying here. Cops are NOT ABOVE THE LAW. Cops are not BETTER THAN THOSE THEY SERVE. Cops do have moms, sisters and brothers but then again so do those they serve. In most cases cops investigate crimes that have already happened, there is no hurry that requires them to shoot someone, there is no reason not to assess the facts prior to shooting a gun.

For some reason cops are not taught to shoot to wound but to shoot to kill. I think making cops the judge jury and executioner is wrong. They need to use tasers more and guns less.

Sometimes a cops job is hard, mostly it is not. The cops get paid for what they do and if they don't want to do it right and PROTECT and SERVE they need to get a different job.

[Rudolphus]

I’ve been amazed over the years at how even our own conservative types here go from one extreme to the other on law enforcement issues. Knee-jerk cop haters vs. LEO’s are never wrong - Could be a new reality TV show. I would never watch it though, television cuts into my range time too much.

[Robert Teesdale]

Anyone who instructs others to “shoot to wound” is an incompetent danger to himself and others. Real life does not work that way.

There is shoot to stop (end the threat) or shoot to kill (warfare).

[Bronzy]

Try this:

http://www.examiner.com/article/bloggers-question-kimberlin-swatting-claim-reward-offered

[bicyclerepair]

Around here I see WAY more revenue collectors than cops. Even though they both wear the same uniform.