Senate Bill 198 deals with the issue of swatting, where someone reports a false emergency to emergency services in an attempt to have a large number of law enforcement officers (specifically SWAT) respond to the call at a certain address.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, people engage in swatting to harass people, spew hate and even for financial gain. Attackers will often make false reports of violent crimes such as active shooters, explosive devices threats or hostage situations.

The bill is authored by Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, and Sen. Eric Koch, R-Indianapolis.

“The crime of swatting is abhorrent; people cause real fear to families when this happens,” Freeman stated.

SB 198 proposes that “hindering a law enforcement process” now includes simply causing the law enforcement officer to be dispatched.

“I simply enhanced the bill by saying that if it causes a person to feel terrorized, frightened or intimidated, then that applies in the crime as well,” Freeman said.

The bill would make it clear that when one swats and hinders any law enforcement process or causes a person to feel “terrorized, frightened or intimidated”, they can now be charged with a Level 6 felony.

The previous punishment for swatting was a Class A misdemeanor, which is no more than one year of imprisonment. However, the punishment for a Level 6 felony could force a person to spend up to two and a half years in prison.

In 2023, the FBI created a national database where law enforcement officials all over the country can share information and investigate issues regarding swatting. However, the FBI has not released any recent data on the issue.