A congresswoman who’s combatting ‘swatting’ just got swatted herself

By Lulu Chang Published February 2, 2016

swatting katherine clark swat team — `

Congresswoman Katherine Clark is now living proof of the premise that no good deed goes unpunished. The politician, who has championed legislation that would make “swatting” a federal crime, has now fallen victim to the practice herself. In a plot twist that reads more like a crime thriller than a real-life occurrence, Rep. Clark was swarmed by “long gun” bearing police officers at her Melrose, Massachusetts home. Police said they’d received a computer-generated call insisting there were “shots fired” in the congresswoman’s residence.

Such is the premise of “swatting” — a crime that has received considerable media and legislative attention in the past few months. In essence, a malicious individual places an anonymous call to law enforcement agents, supposedly tipping them off to dangerous activity in his or her victim’s house. Police, or in some more extreme cases, SWAT teams, then make an appearance, resulting in potentially catastrophic consequences for the innocent.

Recommended Videos

And while Rep. Clark was lucky enough to avoid any serious accidental harm, the incident was terrifying enough in and of itself. “We saw lights flashing outside of my house,” she told WBZ-TV. “I went out to explore. There were a number of police cruisers. There were police visible with long guns on my front lawn.” Both her husband and two children were also at home at the time.

“My family and I are grateful to Chief Lyle and the Melrose Police Department for their timely and professional response,” Clark said in a statement. “No mother should have to answer the door to the police in the middle of the night and fear for her family’s safety simply because an anonymous person disagrees with her.”

FBI estimates that some 400 swatting cases occur every year, for an average of just over one per day. Clark’s proposed congressional legislation would outlaw the practice — she recently introduced the Internet Swatting Hoax Act, which would address “loopholes” in laws regarding bomb and other hoax threats. If the bill were to be signed into law, it would make pranks like swatting punishable by up to 20 years (or in some cases, more) in prison.

New Jersey assemblyman Paul Moriarty who proposed similar measures at the state level also had police sent to his home, and the problem remains prevalent throughout the nation.

“I’m relieved that no one was hurt, but the sad reality is, these hoaxes known as “swatting” are a danger to victims, first responders, and our emergency preparedness,” Clark said. “This is the exact reason that I introduced the Interstate Swatting Hoax Act – I want perpetrators to know that there are legal repercussions to their actions, and I’m committed to giving law enforcement the tools to deter these dangerous crimes.”

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

Computing

How to change margins in Google Docs

Laptop Working from Home

When you create a document in Google Docs, you may need to adjust the space between the edge of the page and the content --- the margins. For instance, many professors have requirements for the margin sizes you must use for college papers.

You can easily change the left, right, top, and bottom margins in Google Docs and have a few different ways to do it.

Computing

What is Microsoft Teams? How to use the collaboration app

A close-up of someone using Microsoft Teams on a laptop for a videoconference.

Online team collaboration is the new norm as companies spread their workforce across the globe. Gone are the days of primarily relying on group emails, as teams can now work together in real time using an instant chat-style interface, no matter where they are.

Using Microsoft Teams affords video conferencing, real-time discussions, document sharing and editing, and more for companies and corporations. It's one of many collaboration tools designed to bring company workers together in an online space. It’s not designed for communicating with family and friends, but for colleagues and clients.

Computing

Microsoft Word vs. Google Docs

A person using a laptop that displays various Microsoft Office apps.

For the last few decades, Microsoft Word has been the de facto standard for word processors across the working world. That's finally starting to shift, and it looks like one of Google's productivity apps is the heir apparent. The company's Google Docs solution (or to be specific, the integrated word processor) is cross-platform and interoperable, automatically syncs, is easily shareable, and perhaps best of all, is free.

However, using Google Docs proves it still has a long way to go before it can match all of Word's features -- Microsoft has been developing its word processor for over 30 years, after all, and millions still use Microsoft Word. Will Google Docs' low barrier to entry and cross-platform functionality win out? Let's break down each word processor in terms of features and capabilities to help you determine which is best for your needs.
How does each word processing program compare?
To put it lightly, Microsoft Word has an incredible advantage over Google Docs in terms of raw technical capability. From relatively humble beginnings in the 1980s, Microsoft has added new tools and options in each successive version. Most of the essential editing tools are available in Google Docs, but users who are used to Word will find it limited.