As 'swatting' cases grow, Ohio House passes bill making prank emergency calls a felony

Intentionally reporting fake or misleading information to trigger an emergency response from law enforcement is a step closer to becoming a felony after the Ohio House passed a bill Wednesday to crack down on"swatting."would make it a third-degree felony to use a phone, computer, radio or any other telecommunications device to knowingly report a fake emergency. A violation that results in serious physical harm would increase to a second-degree felony.

The bill outlines a plan for law enforcement agencies and emergency service providers to get reimbursed for the costs incurred during a response to a fake emergency. It requires that once someone has been convicted of swatting, the court must accept itemized cost statements from any government agency involved in the emergency response. The court may then order the offender to partially or fully reimburse the agency.

"Not only are these incidents extremely dangerous, these incidents also waste a tremendous amount of taxpayer resources," Miller said."It will serve as a deterrent for those who constantly perpetrating such a reckless hoax."

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