SWATting: New Guidance and Free Webinar Sept. 15

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 911.gov sent this bulletin at 08/31/2015 07:27 PM EDT
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New Guidance & Free Webinar on “SWATting” Available for PSAPs 

The National Emergency Number Association and the National 911 Program provide information on responding to false emergencies in free webinar

The number of “SWATting” incidents – false reporting of an emergency aimed at getting a  “SWAT team” response – has grown significantly in recent months, increasing the need for agencies to better prepare emergency personnel to identify and respond to such events.  In the state of New Jersey alone, there have been 36 false reports this year, resulting in substantial misuse of time, money and resources.

Those who report a swatting incident aim to draw the largest possible emergency response by falsely claiming to be involved in events such as hostage situations, home invasions or active shooters at public locations like malls, schools and businesses. Some swatting reports also target individuals by sending response teams to private homes.

The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and the National 911 Program recognized the need to provide emergency responders and public safety answering points (PSAPs) with guidance for addressing SWATting.

“SWATting incidents pose great risks to innocent victims and our first responders when responding to a false call,” said Laurie Flaherty, Coordinator of the National 911 Program.  “Helping PSAPs to prepare for such an event by educating telecommunicators and working with other emergency response agencies to establish standard operating procedures, are strategies that both NENA and the National 911 program recommend PSAPs consider.”

Free Webinar on SWATting Issue

On Tuesday, September 15th, at 12pm ET, experts from NENA and the 911 community will join together to discuss the topic and the new guidance document, which is available at www.911.gov and www.nena.org.  Christopher Carver, ENP, RPL, NENA’s Director of PSAP Operations, and Mark Fletcher, ENP, a noted 911 and public safety solutions expert will share:

  • Background on SWATting incidents and methods of identifying potential false callers 
  • Recommended actions PSAP staff can take to differentiate these calls from emergencies 
  • A review of protections against SWATting built into Next Generation 911 (NG911)

Register for the webinar now and download the document at www.911.gov or www.nena.org
 

About the National 911 Program

The National 911 Program provides federal leadership to support and promote optimal 911 services. It was created by Congress to provide information to improve the 911 system and to coordinate information sharing and activities among federal agencies and the 911 community. The Program fulfills its mission by developing and distributing a variety of tools and resources for the nation’s 911 stakeholders. The National 911 Program is housed within the Office of Emergency Medical Services at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.