Pennsylvania House bill would make swatting a felony
House measure targets hoax shooter calls to schools, colleges
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The Delaware County district attorney, a Democrat, stood alongside a group of Republican state lawmakers Tuesday to call for legislation to stiffen the penalty for swatting incidents that plagued schools and universities.
Officials said House Bill 1911 and House bill 1912 were chiefly inspired by a swatting incident at Villanova University on move-in day when dozens of police officers responded to a report of an active-shooter on campus. Officials said those reports sent terrified students and family members fleeing in panic.
"When dozens of police officers in SWAT gear, with weapons pointed, are going door to door through dormitory buildings, that is an inherently dangerous situation, both for the officers and for anyone who is on the campus. And I will tell you, people did get hurt that day, not police officers, but parents running to be safe," District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said at a Capitol press conference Tuesday. Stollsteimer said he knows at least one woman was taken to the hospital with a leg injury she suffered while trying to seek refuge.
"And that was all because of some depraved individual who thinks this is funny. We have to make sure that this is a crime in Pennsylvania," he said.
Stollsteimer said he expects federal authorities to soon announce charges against a suspect in the Villanova swatting incident. However, a pair of bills introduced last week would provide for stiffer penalties in state court.
House Bill 1911 would allow judges to order those convicted of swatting to pay the costs of the emergency response triggered by the false report. If the swatting is committed by a juvenile, the judge could order the offender's parents to pick up the bill. House Bill 1912 would make swatting a third-degree felony.
A similar bill passed the state Senate in April with bipartisan support. Senate Bill 96 would make false reports of emergencies at schools a felony and also allow judges to order those convicted of the offense to repay the costs associated with the emergency response, as well as associated costs for things like food wasted in the school cafeteria because of the incident.
Just in northeastern Pennsylvania, close to a dozen schools were plagued by anonymous threats in 2023, resulting in closures and loss of instruction time, hindering student progress, state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said when SB 96 was approved by that committee.
Nationally, there were 446 false active shooter reports at schools in 2022 and 2023, said state Rep. Craig Williams, R-Delaware, the prime sponsor of HB 1911 and HB 1912.
"Every one of these incidents diverts law enforcement from real emergencies and endangers lives. Swatting is not a prank," Williams said at the press conference. "It is psychological terror. It exploits the trust of our community's place in emergency alerts and weaponizes that trust against us."