Dec 19, 2019

Hays Police investigating after Tuesday swatting incident

Posted Dec 19, 2019 3:05 PM

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

Around 7 p.m. Tuesday, emergency responders were dispatched to the 1600 block of Elm on reports of a homicide by an armed individual threatening to kill others inside the home and neighbors.

It was also reported the door was wired with explosives.

As area law enforcement was arriving at the scene, the report was quickly spreading on social media through Facebook page that monitors and publishes law enforcement scanner traffic and alerts were issued through broadcastify, an app that rebroadcasts law enforcement radio traffic and other community alert services, including the Ring doorbell app.

Hundreds of people tuned into the call on broadcastify, hearing reports of the threats and victims being restrained.

But within 15 minutes, law enforcement determined it was a hoax.

The HPD is now searching for information about the caller, but fake reports such as these are difficult to investigate, according to Hays Police Department Assistant Chief Brian Dawson.

“These are a challenge to try to find out where the source is and who is the person that made the false report,” he said.

Making a fake call to create an armed police response is commonly referred to as swatting, and was responsible for the death of a Wichita man two years ago.

Using online tools, perpetrators of swatting calls can spoof phone numbers, or mask the call location of the call — in essence, creating a digital barrier between law enforcement and the caller.

“People that do this type of thing typically try to make it difficult to find out who made the call,” Dawson said. “It will take some time and a lot of resources to track it down.”

Last year, a bill was signed into Kansas law that increased the penalties for the crime of giving a false alarm. A call that includes false information about violent criminal activity or an immediate threat to a person’s life or safety is now classified as a level 7 nonperson felony in Kansas, given to no harm comes from the call. Prosecution for interference with law enforcement is also possible under Kansas law.

A suspect can also be prosecuted under federal law.

“It’s a pretty serious allegation,” Dawson said.