Posted on 06/12/2012 7:49:58 AM PDT by 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.
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)
This is one more reason why the 'Rats have to be beaten soundly at the polls in November.
Furthermore, Erick Erickson might consider suing the local police department under the Civil Rights statutes of the US Code for violations of his and his family's federal constitutional rights.
The police are being ‘used’ for the leftist agendas.
Saying they have tiny neanderthal brains is uncalled for.
It’s the people doing this and the people who are letting it happen that are in question.
My God, this is what we have come to???
I will be contacting my locals about this, I have the loudest mouth in Western New York.
I know quite well what a cop’s job is....and while there are certainly some bad apples, most do understand that their duty is to SERVE and protect. My specific comment was directed at the person who chose to make a completely uncalled for remark inferring that all cops are simply idiots with badges and guns - that is the kind of stereotypical name-calling for which the Left is famous! My point was that we, as conservatives, should deal with facts and reality and not resort to unnecessary personal attacks.
As for your remarks about “shoot to wound, not to kill”, that is simply a Hollywood style answer that doesn’t generally work well in real life. It sounds like you have personal issues with police officers, which must make for some pretty interesting family get-togethers with your son!
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I saw nothing wrong with JAKraig's post. I can understand your objection to Zippo44's post, but not to JAKraig's. There have been too many stories regarding overzealous police in the last few years for many of us to have been unaffected in our perception of law enforcement.
Kneejerk cop tuchuslekker. Your reaction tells me your bedwetting cop offspring is probably under investigation by internal affairs for shooting someone’s chihuahua, which would explain your overreaction. Lighten up, and warn your punk popo kid not to take an LEO gig in Texas.
No Dems? Not ONE???
As for your remarks about “shoot to wound, not to kill”, that is simply a Hollywood style answer that doesn’t generally work well in real life.
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My issue is that one innocent person killed by a mistake in an address or “thinking” a person was going for a gun is too many. When a man doing nothing wrong gets shot 18 times by too many cops it does not make sense.
Over and over on this forum we hear of how a gun owner shot an intruder and the perp is in the hospital recovering facing several charges. You NEVER hear of a cop shoot out ending with the perp in the hospital because they do all they can to KILL the threat, it is just too much. I’m all for bad guys going to hell but if you aren’t absolutely sure with good reason it is wrong.
Cops are a necessary evil of society, but cops don’t have to be evil. Until the latest generation cops in England didn’t even carry guns. When you lose someone close to you because of a mistake you will understand.
The majority of time put in by cops is giving traffic citations and making reports of crimes committed. My son says their number one concern is that they go home after the shift. Going home is good but not killing innocents it important and should be AT LEAST as important but isn’t. Too often the officer has to say I’m sorry I killed your son, father or whatever, I thought he had a gun. It should NEVER happen.
I do not have any immediate family members who are police officers,(evidently you didn't read the replies to your post clearly enough to recognize that I'm not the one who stated I had a son who is a cop). I do have several friends who either have been or currently are cops. I do not automatically defend everyone who wears a badge but I do appreciate the numerous ones who go and do a dangerous job in a crazy world.
My original comments to you stand - there was no reason for you to make ad hominem attacks calling all police officers Neanderthals. Feel free to make your points but please don't resort to unnecessary personal attacks, especially if you are calling yourself a Christian!
“When you lose someone close to you because of a mistake you will understand.”
I have lost someone close to me because of someone else’s mistake! However, the person who caused the death is the one who is responsible for their actions - not every member of their profession, many of whom act heroically to save lives.
I certainly have heard of many incidents where a suspect was shot by a cop and they lived to face charges or be vindicated. Have innocent people been killed by over-zealous cops? Yep - and the officers should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. However, there are also many cases where a cop has hesitated to act or underestimated a threat and paid for it with their lives.
In a perfect world, mistakes wouldn’t happen...but in a perfect world, we wouldn’t need cops!
My original post was in regard to Zippo44 referring to all cops as having “Neanderthal” brains, which I felt was an unnecessary attack. As the father of a cop, I would assume that you agree!
You described Ruby Ridge — not Waco...
Thanks for the ping!
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