• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Advertise
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Subscribe
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Leadership
    • A candid chat with law enforcement Explorer scouts
      Do you know your emotional intelligence?
      Addressing racism in the workplace
      Supervisory actions: Deliberate style or weak skills?
      Are performance evaluations worth the effort?
  • Topics
    • Leadership
      • A candid chat with law enforcement Explorer scouts
        Do you know your emotional intelligence?
        Addressing racism in the workplace
        Supervisory actions: Deliberate style or weak skills?
        Are performance evaluations worth the effort?
    • Editor’s Picks
      • The future is here
        A winding road
        Do you know your emotional intelligence?
        Law enforcement responds to tragic Texas flooding
        “Hold my beer”
    • On the Job
      • A winding road
        Law enforcement responds to tragic Texas flooding
        I brought home a dog
        Six Mexican cartels designated as terrorist organizations
        Police chief: Officers likely prevented further violence in Minnesota...
    • Labor
      • Building positive media relations
        LEO labor and community outreach — make the haters scoff
        Racing with a purpose
        Dallas Police Department drops college requirement for police...
        Small Texas town left without a police force after firing its last...
    • Tech
      • New Jersey school district first to adopt AI gun detection and...
        Hawaii police harness virtual reality technology to train, secure and...
        The future is here
        How local police departments can combat cybercrime
        Your website is your front desk
    • Training
      • Training dipshittery
        Police Academy 20
        Using critical thinking to crack the case
        Navigating cultural and language barriers
        Why you should pocket carry
    • Policy
      • Consolidation in action
        California lawmakers push mask ban for officers, raising safety...
        Proactive policing: What it is and how to do it
        California makes police misconduct records publicly available
        A bold idea for reducing homelessness in America
    • Health/Wellness
      • Time and distance
        Meditation is hard because it’s not what you think
        Life off the clock
        Self-help for anxiety
        The warm path and the hot path
    • Community
      • A bold idea for reducing homelessness in America
        Operation Brain Freeze keeps community cool
        Turning over a new leaf
        Bridging the Gap Between Cops and Kids
        An unexpected reunion
    • Offbeat
      • Not eggzactly a perfect heist
        Pizza … with a side of alligator?
        Wisconsin man charged with impersonating Border Patrol agent twice in...
        Only in California?
        Durango, Colorado, police hop into action after unusual 9-1-1 call
    • We Remember
      • York County ambush leaves three officers dead, others critically...
        Honoring the Fallen Heroes of 9/11
        Team Romeo
        National Police Week 2025
        Honoring Fallen Heroes
    • HOT Mail
      • The War on Cops Continues Unabated
  • On the Job
    • A winding road
      Law enforcement responds to tragic Texas flooding
      I brought home a dog
      Six Mexican cartels designated as terrorist organizations
      Police chief: Officers likely prevented further violence in Minnesota...
  • Labor
    • Building positive media relations
      LEO labor and community outreach — make the haters scoff
      Racing with a purpose
      Dallas Police Department drops college requirement for police...
      Small Texas town left without a police force after firing its last...
  • Tech
    • New Jersey school district first to adopt AI gun detection and...
      Hawaii police harness virtual reality technology to train, secure and...
      The future is here
      How local police departments can combat cybercrime
      Your website is your front desk
  • Training
    • Training dipshittery
      Police Academy 20
      Using critical thinking to crack the case
      Navigating cultural and language barriers
      Why you should pocket carry
  • Policy
    • Consolidation in action
      California lawmakers push mask ban for officers, raising safety...
      Proactive policing: What it is and how to do it
      California makes police misconduct records publicly available
      A bold idea for reducing homelessness in America
  • Health/Wellness
    • Time and distance
      Meditation is hard because it’s not what you think
      Life off the clock
      Self-help for anxiety
      The warm path and the hot path
  • Community
    • A bold idea for reducing homelessness in America
      Operation Brain Freeze keeps community cool
      Turning over a new leaf
      Bridging the Gap Between Cops and Kids
      An unexpected reunion
  • Offbeat
    • Not eggzactly a perfect heist
      Pizza … with a side of alligator?
      Wisconsin man charged with impersonating Border Patrol agent twice in...
      Only in California?
      Durango, Colorado, police hop into action after unusual 9-1-1 call
  • We Remember
    • York County ambush leaves three officers dead, others critically...
      Honoring the Fallen Heroes of 9/11
      Team Romeo
      National Police Week 2025
      Honoring Fallen Heroes
  • HOT Mail
    • The War on Cops Continues Unabated
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
Search

Policy

New Ohio law criminalizes swatting, aims to deter hoax calls claiming active shooters

APB Team Published July 23, 2023 @ 12:00 pm PDT

iStock.com/Tero Vesalainen

Ohio’s fight against “swatting” is well underway months after Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 462 into law in April, which made it a felony to engage in the dangerous hoax calls.

Dozens of schools and facilities across the state have fallen victim to the concerning trend of swatting, a dangerous hoax where callers falsely report active shooter situations.

To combat the reckless behavior, Ohio’s updated legislation now classifies swatting as a fourth-degree felony, with the severity rising to a second-degree felony if the incident leads to serious physical harm.

Moreover, those found guilty will also be held financially liable for reimbursing law enforcement agencies for the resources expended during the response to the false threat.

Lawmakers are hopeful that these stringent penalties will serve as a powerful deterrent against this distressing crime.

For nearly a year, swatting incidents have been a significant challenge for law enforcement officials, particularly affecting Montgomery County in southwest Ohio.

Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck expressed the extensive resources required to respond to these fabricated emergencies.

“Every time it happens, there are resources coming from everywhere, depending on what the call says,” he explained.

Streck added that the process involves setting up perimeters, dispatching officers to the scene and attempting to establish communication with the alleged victims.

Apart from causing unnecessary panic, swatting cases also drain considerable money and resources.

“You have a lot of police officers, deputy sheriffs out there responding, usually with lights and sirens to get somewhere when they don’t need to be,” Streck added.

Representative Kevin Miller (R-Newark), a primary sponsor of HB 462, voiced his concern and motivation behind the law.

“The intent of this legislation is to deter this unwanted behavior,” Miller stated, “So hopefully that’s just what it will do.”

Since its enactment in April, there is limited evidence to gauge the law’s impact in deterring swatting incidents. Miller acknowledged that it might be too early to draw definitive conclusions. Nonetheless, he has not received reports of any swatting situations since the bill’s implementation.

Despite the lack of concrete data, Sheriff Streck highlighted his office’s previous success in prosecuting individuals involved in swatting incidents, and was hopeful the law would add more tools for law enforcement.

“We’re getting ready to head in to back to school for elementary, high school, colleges, all of that,” he said. “So this is a good time to put this bill through so that we have another tool in our toolbox to try to deal with these kinds of individuals.”

Throughout 2022, Ohio faced a series of swatting incidents that disrupted schools across the tri-state area. In one instance, Princeton High School in Sharonville was dismissed for the day following a false report of an active shooter with injuries.

Subsequent incidents affected other schools, including Gamble Montessori High School, Shroder High School, Winton Woods, Pleasant Run Middle School, Mt. Airy Elementary, Fairfield Freshman School, and Reading Community City schools.

Categories: Policy Tags: hoax calls, Rob Streck, schools, Ohio, 911 call, Mike DeWine, Montgomery County, active shooter, false alarm, swatting

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • NLEOMF thanks supporters for a successful Police Weekend
  • Training dipshittery
  • Time and distance
  • Meditation is hard because it’s not what you think
  • Police Academy 20
  • Life off the clock
  • Self-help for anxiety
  • National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Announces August 2025 Officers of the Month
  • Justice Federal Credit Union stands ready to offer members special assistance in the event of a federal government shutdown
  • New Jersey school district first to adopt AI gun detection and emergency alerts

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The future is here

The future is here

August 21, 2025

A winding road

A winding road

August 20, 2025

Do you know your emotional intelligence?

Do you know your emotional intelligence?

August 17, 2025

Law enforcement responds to tragic Texas flooding

Law enforcement responds to tragic Texas flooding

August 11, 2025

Policies | Consent Preferences | Copyright © 2025 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.