Swatting at Bryan home highlights dangers associated with making call, response

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – A panicked call Friday night sent officers into a quiet Bryan neighborhood, thinking a woman was shot by her husband and the call was coming from small children inside the home. The response brought firefighters, EMS and officers with their weapons ready for an altercation.

When they arrived to the home, they found nothing was wrong. This was a swatting call. It’s a growing trend not only targeting schools and workplaces, but homes. Bryan Police say in the last few years, they have had six of these incidents.

Attorney Reilly Garrett, a former law enforcement officer, says these incidents are harmful.

“At the end of the day if it does turn out to be false then that’s great for everyone involved,” Garrett said. “But it also can be a drain on the resources pulling the first responders away from actual potential ongoing calls that do require a response.”

Cases locally have gone through the courts. The Bryan Police Department said they have come away with arrests in swatting calls, but many are unable to be investigated. Technology has allowed people to call on a blocked number, a fake number or even from overseas, making it hard to trace.

No matter where it comes from, Attorney Shane Phelps says it’s illegal.

“If the idea is to have law enforcement respond, and then somebody is seriously injured, which is always a risk when these kinds of things happen, then somebody’s looking at a third-degree felony. That’s two years to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine,” Phelps said.

The Bryan Police Department said they haven’t made any arrests in Friday’s incident, and that many of these calls come from outside the community.

Regardless, Phelps says resources are expanding for departments and many of these cases will not fall through the cracks.

“The tools that are available to law enforcement now and they often work with the Department of Public Safety and the FBI and other Homeland Security is often involved. They can find you and when they do, they’re going to come down pretty hard on you,” he said.