Bill > H1649

This bill aims to increase penalties for "swatting," which is the act of intentionally making a false report to emergency services to cause a large-scale response, often by police, to a nonexistent emergency. Specifically, it proposes to amend existing law to punish individuals who willfully and maliciously communicate false information to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), which is the number you call for emergencies like 911, or to a police officer, knowing the information is false and intending to annoy or harass another person. If police are dispatched as a result of such a false report, the offender could face up to 2.5 years in jail or a $2,500 fine for a first offense, with increased penalties for repeat offenses, including up to 5 years in state prison or a $7,500 fine. The bill further escalates penalties if bodily injury or death occurs as a result of the dispatched police response to the false emergency, with potential prison sentences of up to 10 years and fines up to $10,000 for repeat offenses involving death. Importantly, the bill includes an exemption for communications made in good faith.