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submitted 6 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

Police were dispatched toward Smith's residence but were called off when they learned it was a false alarm and that everyone inside the home was safe.

Special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the prosecution of former President Donald Trump in two federal cases, was the target of an attempted swatting at his Maryland residence on Christmas Day.

According to two law enforcement sources, someone called 911 and said that Smith had shot his wife at the address where Smith lives.

Montgomery County Police dispatched units toward the home but were called off when the Deputy U.S. Marshals protecting Smith and his family told police that it was a false alarm and that everyone inside the home was safe.

No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

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[-] MagicShel@programming.dev 189 points 6 months ago

No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

This shit needs to change. This has been a problem for too many years now.

[-] newthrowaway20@lemmy.world 87 points 6 months ago

For real. Maybe people will take it seriously now that we've gone from the swatting live steamers to swatting representatives and elected officials.

[-] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 102 points 6 months ago

This incidence of swatting is literally terrorism.

[-] newthrowaway20@lemmy.world 56 points 6 months ago

I get that, but we tend to not take terrorism very seriously when it's domestic terrorism.

[-] porous_grey_matter@lemmy.ml 47 points 6 months ago

When it's right wing domestic terrorism

[-] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 21 points 6 months ago

Yep. When it’s lefties chaining themselves to a fence to protest nuclear weapons we beat them half to death before giving them life in prison.

[-] Neato@ttrpg.network 50 points 6 months ago

Yeah. When I first heard about swatting you heard about arrests. Now it seems like the cops don't give a shit.

When I was in school you'd get a bomb threat in the county once a year or so but they always caught them. How are police so inept now?

[-] TowardsTheFuture@lemmy.zip 39 points 6 months ago

Because our phone regulations are absolute shit now and thus it’s much easier to hide this shit with everything now.

[-] cantstopthesignal@sh.itjust.works 29 points 6 months ago

This is the real answer. Arrest the spoofers. Anyone can vpn and spoof a phone call. It's why I don't answer my phone anymore

[-] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago

I don't answer my phone either. I have a special Ring tone for the family, that's it. At work I got moved to a new location and asked me if I needed my phone. I said no and haven't used the office phone since. I email companies and setup in person meetings or teams meetings. There's no need for a phone at work if one can just do teams.

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[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 8 points 6 months ago

When I was in school you’d get a bomb threat in the county once a year or so but they always caught them.

I'm actually surprised about that. Maybe you went to school at a different time from me? I graduated in 1995. A couple of times a year, some kid (probably) would call in a bomb threat so they could get out of a test or whatever and they never got caught. We had a pay phone right outside the school, which didn't help.

[-] prole@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 months ago

The cops probably like it because they get to LARP like it's Call of Duty for a few hours.

It's because the cops get to play soldier without any actual training.

[-] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 30 points 6 months ago

Can’t have swatting problems if you don’t have swat teams.

Seriously, there should be a major push for police departments to de-emphasize swat and stop executing no-knock warrants.

[-] fiercekitten@lemm.ee 4 points 6 months ago
[-] Moira_Mayhem@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

No, it's not a solution, it's a goal.

A solution would be planned systems of oversight and accountability that achieves the goal.

[-] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago

They’ll get whoever did this. The feds don’t take getting messed with lightly

[-] Moira_Mayhem@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

So far I've not ever seen any news articles about people calling in a swatting getting caught, but plenty of articles on swatting.

What makes you so confident that the rancid basement troll that did this will face consequences?

[-] tacosplease@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

Not sure it could be considered attempted murder, but harm & death are real risks in a swat raid.

Not to mention cost and risk to the officers. It should be a very serious crime. Not sure what crime it is though. I wouldn't be surprised if it were treated the same as filing a false report which would be way too lenient.

this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2024
499 points (98.3% liked)

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