Mayor Michelle Wu was the latest victim of swatting in Boston – and on Christmas Day, no less.

True to form, the hoaxer informed the Boston Police Department that a violent shooting had taken place at an address matching the mayor’s home in Roslindale, as the Herald’s Flint McColgan reported.

There was, of course, no such incident, but the hoaxer’s damage was done: police time wasted and tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars spent.

It’s harassment, plain and simple, although sometimes the results are lethal, as in the death of the target who had been falsely accused of a violent crime like a homicide, a hostage situation or a bomb threat.

Surely, the punishment for masterminding a swatting incident must be harsh.

Wrong.

The current law in Massachusetts states “Whoever intentionally and knowingly makes or causes to be made a false report of a crime to police officers shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred nor more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than one year, or both.”

A slap on the wrist.

Other states that have swatting laws, such as Michigan, have tougher penalties. In the Wolverine State, the false report of a crime is a 93-day misdemeanor; a false report resulting in physical injury is a 5-year felony, a false report resulting in a serious bodily impairment is a 10-year felony and/or a false report resulting in a death is a 15-year felony.
The Michigan Attorney General’s office also notes that in addition to jail time or prison, those found guilty of these crimes can face fines of up to $50,000.

That’s more like it.

Swatting doesn’t come cheap to the law enforcement agencies that must respond to threats of a crime, nor the taxpayers. And while officers are responding to a hoax shooting threat or something similar, that leaves fewer to respond to actual crimes.

Massachusetts should look to Michigan for a blueprint on how to make swatting the third rail for hoaxers. The level of false crime reported should be a factor in punishment, as a violent shooting or bomb threat calls for multiple responders.

Fines should be a given, regardless of whether an injury or fatality has occurred.

Wu isn’t an outlier as a swatting victim. They are prevalent enough that the FBI formed a Command Center in May 2023 for all federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to share reports of swatting incidents.

The FBI’s National Swatting Virtual Command Center “is the first time ever that the federal government has created a centralized command center for law enforcement agencies across the country to exchange,
track, and share information related to swatting incidents and is a key step towards being able to better understand the nature and prevalence of these crimes,” according to a report issued by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat.

That the FBI had to make this move says a lot about state of the country now – and it’s not good.

Massachusetts has the power, if not to end swatting, then to make such false crime reports something hoaxers will regret, as they sit in jail.

All it needs now is the will to pass a tougher law.

Editorial cartoon by Joe Heller (Joe Heller)