Suspect Behind “Swatting” In Caldwell Wanted By Police

Whether we like it or not, we're living in the future. That means we have access to technology and resources like never before and live in a world where we can get what we want with the push of a button.

That last part might sound good, but it's not always a positive. An example of that was on full display on Tuesday when Caldwell police reported a possible case of "swatting."

What is "swatting"?

If you're unfamiliar, "swatting" is a dangerous trend that involves people using law enforcement as a prank.

Essentially, someone notifies local authorities of a "threat" serious enough to warrant as much police force as possible. The thing is - this "threat" isn't real and they likely have no idea police are coming to their residence.

The person calling the police as a prank typically gives them the worst-case scenario possible too - like a hostage situation. Police, however, have no idea and must take every call as seriously as possible. If they arrive and a confused victim of "swatting" makes the wrong move, it could turn out deadly.

That's exactly what happened in Wichita, Kansas when a dispute on an online game of Call of Duty turned deadly. One person swatted the other and the result was the victim being shot by police during the miscommunication and chaos according to the Department of Justice.

Misappropriating police resources to exact vengeance on someone is not funny and should never be used as a prank.

Caldwell police believe the incident on Tuesday was just that according to their Facebook post:

Hopefully, the person responsible is brought to justice and our police can focus their energy and resources on real crimes.