Daily Herald opinion: Swatting calls take terrible toll - emotionally and financially

This editorial is a consensus opinion of the Daily Herald Editorial Board.

The threats arrive by phone, email, even in online chats. They speak of someone with a gun at a school or a hostage situation in a home.

While there might be clues the threat is a hoax, law enforcement must, of course, respond - and respond in force.

Swatting calls, fake reports designed to lure a large emergency response, are on the rise. And the suburbs are not immune.

On Aug. 30, Dundee-Crown High School went into full lockdown after a caller said he was at the Carpentersville school and planned to begin shooting.

Last week, libraries across the state, including those in Aurora and Addison, were rocked by bomb threats.

Those threats coincided with Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias' testimony at a U.S. Senate Judiciary hearing on the state's ban against book bans.

But whether the library threats were someone's idea of a twisted political statement, an act of revenge or the work of a malicious prankster, they created chaos, stirred fear and wasted precious resources.

Imagine in school lockdowns the terror of teens and teachers having to huddle in classrooms. Imagine the pain of parents wondering if there's a gunman roaming the halls, if their children are safe.

Imagine the police officers and other emergency workers who must take every call seriously.

All of that takes a toll - emotionally, physically and financially.

Carpentersville Police Chief Todd Shaver said at least 20 of the department's officers were on scene at Dundee-Crown with dozens of officers from about 20 other law enforcement agencies. He estimates the cost of man-hours for his department alone to be in the thousands.

Earlier this year, the FBI created a national online database to track swatting and share information. It's an important, if overdue, step.

Having the numbers, however, is not enough.

We can all help, first by protecting our smart devices and personal data from those who could use the information in dangerous ways.

Also, parents need to understand their children's activities online. Swatting originally emerged among gamers and hackers targeting their online rivals. We must emphasize that swatting is far from a harmless prank.

In one case, swatting led to the death of a 28-year-old Kansas man inadvertently killed by police responding to a false threat. The person who made the call was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Swatting is a felony in Illinois, with good reason. We need to work together to raise awareness of its dangers and prevent it.