Anonymous bomb threats and 'swatting' threaten free exchange of ideas
Public policy is ideally decided through reasoned discussions, not threats of violence.
The spate of reported threats in recent days — first against some of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees and other appointees and then against Democratic lawmakers — takes the country further in the wrong direction.
The nation's investigative agencies should boost their efforts to track down threats to the point at which those considering making threats will have good reason to fear they will be caught. Everyone else should speak out against the corrosive effects of anonymous intimidation.
On Thanksgiving, at least five Connecticut Democratic lawmakers said they were targeted with bomb threats while celebrating with their families at home. A day earlier, several of Trump's Cabinet picks and administration appointees were similarly targeted with bomb threats or swatting, according to Trump's transition team.
Swatting is making a hoax 911 call to get a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team or other police units to show up in force at a victim's home believing that a serious crime is taking place.
Although no one was hurt, these incidents are not just an annoyance. In the past, police officers have been injured on their way to a scene. Innocent targets of swatting have had minor heart attacks. The costs of unnecessary mobilizations are a strain on the public purse.
Swatting can also turn fatal if police misinterpret an innocent target's response. It's also possible responses to future legitimate emergencies could be slowed while responders ponder whether the threat they receive is legitimate.
Being swatted can be a terrifying experience. Earlier this year, former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., described two 2011 swatting incidents at his Washington, D.C., apartment, which police later told him appeared to be a case of mistaken identity.
"The shock and the potential danger posed to me and my neighbors in the building during the police operation was substantial," Kinzinger wrote on CNN.com.
Intimidation of lawmakers
Moreover, the threats can shape lawmakers' actions and votes. After the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., said some House Republicans told him they wouldn't vote to impeach Trump because they were frightened by threats they had received.
That's no way to run a government. How many other people have been muzzled by fear?
Bomb threats and swatting are not necessarily simple crimes to solve. Using technology, perps can make it appear bogus calls to 911 are coming from those who turn out to be actual swatting victims.
Such threats have been going on for some time. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows was swatted Dec. 29 after issuing an opinion that Trump was ineligible to run in her state because of his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. In March, a SWAT team forced Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft to come out of his home with his hands up.
Among those targeted this year and last year were Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, according to the Associated Press, and two judges handling cases involving Trump.
And it's not just lawmakers who are threatened. A bomb threat in Springfield, Ohio — following verbal attacks on Haitian immigrants in that city — sent parents scurrying in September to pick up their children from two elementary schools. Last year, some libraries in Illinois closed temporarily because of bomb threats made during heightened debate over which books should be on library shelves.
People making anonymous threats of violence are like reckless motorists who dangerously weave at high speeds through lanes of traffic. If they think they can get away with it, they will keep doing it, perhaps leading to horrific crashes.
Law enforcement should ensure people phoning in bomb threats or bogus 911 calls are caught as quickly as possible, and the courts should make certain perps pay a penalty commensurate with the damage done and enough to deter such behavior in the future.
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