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Law enforcement recounts trauma of swatting; committee hears competing views on felony penalties (HB 4,151)
Summary
Supporters, including law enforcement and district sheriffs, described traumatic swatting incidents and urged HB 4,151 be amended to allow felony charges when hoaxes intentionally trigger enhanced responses and lead to death or serious injury; defenders and civil‑liberty groups urged caution, questioning incidence data and the breadth of proposed definitions.
The House Judiciary Committee heard testimony Monday on House Bill 4,151, which would create a new class C felony for conduct that intentionally triggers an "enhanced law-enforcement response" and recklessly causes serious injury or death.
Sponsor Representative Darcy Edwards said the measure was developed to address "swatting," where hoax calls summon heavily armed responses to an innocent person's location. She cited past incidents that disrupted schools…
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